A Tale of Two Chambers: Johnson’s House vs. Schumer’s Senate

The government shutdown is a tale of two chambers, with a House of Representatives led by Speaker Mike Johnson operating on a completely different set of principles than the Senate led by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. The clash between these two legislative bodies and their leaders is the engine driving the shutdown, a conflict that was on full display during Wednesday’s failed votes in the Senate.
The House, under Johnson’s leadership, has adopted a strategy of unilateral action. Johnson’s chamber passed a short-term, “clean” Republican funding bill last month and then effectively washed its hands of the matter, going into recess. The House’s position is that it has done its job and the onus is now entirely on the Senate to act.
The Senate, with its slim Democratic majority, operates in a different reality. Schumer cannot pass legislation without at least some Republican support due to the 60-vote filibuster threshold. His strategy is therefore built on negotiation and leverage—insisting that the House’s bill is unacceptable and using the shutdown to try and force Republicans to the table to discuss Democratic priorities, namely the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits.
This fundamental difference in approach has created the impasse. Johnson’s House is demanding that the Senate accept its bill as-is. Schumer’s Senate is demanding a negotiation to create a new, bipartisan bill. Neither chamber is willing to yield to the other’s process.
The result is a standoff not just between parties, but between the two houses of Congress themselves. Until the Speaker of the House and the Senate Majority Leader can find a way to reconcile their two competing visions of the legislative process, the government will remain closed.