Speaker Johnson Exposes Schumer’s Secret Inappropriate Push for Backroom Deal [WATCH]

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer pressured him to strike a private deal to end the government shutdown, a move Johnson described as inappropriate for a short-term funding measure.

Speaking on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper,” Johnson said Schumer attempted to push him and Senate Minority Whip John Thune into a closed-door negotiation alongside House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Johnson said he rejected the idea, arguing that such talks were improper under the circumstances.

“The problem that I had with Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries is Leader Schumer was insisting that I go into a back room, Leader Thune and I, go into a back room with he and Jeffries and do a four corners agreement to fix this. It’s not possible. It was never appropriate to do that on a short-term funding measure,” Johnson told Tapper.

The Speaker said Schumer’s maneuvering cost Congress valuable time that could have been used to advance fiscal reforms and long-term spending priorities.

“We needed the month of October, November, December to work through this. And, ironically, because of his shenanigans, they’ve now taken all that time off the clock. So we have a lot more important work to do,” Johnson said.

The exchange comes as both chambers continue to face pressure to resolve the shutdown and restore government funding.

The standoff has stretched more than 40 days, becoming one of the longest in modern history. Disagreements over spending levels and healthcare subsidies have divided lawmakers, with Democrats demanding an extension of enhanced Obamacare subsidies set to expire at the end of December.

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Schumer publicly opposed the shutdown deal reached over the weekend and has faced growing criticism from within his own party after failing to secure that extension.

Eight Democratic senators joined Republicans on Sunday to advance the House-passed short-term funding bill, providing just enough votes to reach the Senate’s 60-vote threshold.

Johnson, who took the Speaker’s gavel earlier this year, said he would not bypass regular order to expedite the process of reopening the government.

When Tapper asked whether he would allow vulnerable House Republicans to take a separate vote to reopen the government, Johnson said the House must proceed methodically.

“The very people that you were citing in the letter believe we have to have real reforms. So what I’m committed to, and I have all along, this has never changed, is a deliberative process that we do in the House,” Johnson said.

“We have a very small margin. Majorities, whomever, has the majority now in this era is going to have a small margin. And so it requires the involvement of a lot of members.”

As the shutdown entered its seventh week, frustration spread among Democrats who accused Schumer of mishandling negotiations.

Democratic Reps. Ro Khanna of California and Seth Moulton of Massachusetts joined Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner in calling for Schumer’s removal from leadership.

They argued that his inability to hold the caucus together led to the passage of the Republican-backed measure and weakened the party’s negotiating position.

Schumer, who opposed the final short-term funding bill, has defended his approach, saying the package lacked key Democratic priorities.

Still, progressive activists and several lawmakers have charged that his leadership failed to prevent defections within the caucus, allowing the bill to move forward with Republican support.

The short-term funding measure is expected to keep the government open for several weeks while lawmakers negotiate a broader budget agreement.

Johnson has said he plans to use that period to pursue fiscal reforms and spending controls rather than temporary extensions.

Democratic divisions and Johnson’s resistance to backroom negotiations signal that the next round of talks is likely to remain contentious as the new funding deadline approaches.