Courage is a word that gets thrown around too easily in Washington these days, but interrupting a House Speaker’s press conference takes a certain kind of gumption, misguided though it may be.
Representative Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania’s 6th District made headlines this week when she stormed a Republican press conference and demanded Speaker Mike Johnson negotiate with Democrats to end the government shutdown. The confrontation, which quickly spread across social media, showed the Democrat being restrained by Capitol Police as she shouted at Johnson from the Capitol steps.
Now Houlahan is defending her actions, claiming her anger was justified because Johnson has refused to pick up the phone and work with Democratic leadership during the more than 40-day government closure.
The facts, however, tell a different story.
Republicans have proposed a straightforward solution: pass a continuing resolution to reopen the government immediately, then negotiate the contentious healthcare subsidies Democrats are demanding in separate legislation. It is a reasonable approach that would get federal workers back on the job while allowing both parties to hammer out their differences on Obamacare subsidies without holding the entire government hostage.
But Houlahan is having none of it. When asked directly why Democrats refuse to separate the budget from healthcare negotiations, she insisted the two issues are “inextricably connected.” This represents the kind of all-or-nothing thinking that has paralyzed Washington and left Americans wondering when their elected officials will remember they work for the people, not their party’s wish list.
The Pennsylvania congresswoman went further, accusing the Trump administration of “slowly strangling the American people” over the past nine months and using the shutdown to “complete the job.” These are serious charges that deserve serious evidence, yet Houlahan offered none before her staff whisked her away from further questioning.
The irony here is rich enough to spread on toast. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer unveiled a proposal Friday afternoon that would extend the disputed Obamacare subsidies for just one year and create a committee to negotiate the issue going forward. In other words, Schumer is now proposing to kick the healthcare can down the road, which sounds remarkably similar to what Republicans suggested in the first place.
During the viral confrontation, Johnson reminded Houlahan to respect his free speech rights as jeering from Republican members grew louder. The scene was unseemly for the people’s house, regardless of which side of the aisle you call home.
Houlahan justified her interruption by saying Johnson is “our speaker, the speaker of the House” and must do his job. Fair enough. But the speaker’s job is not to capitulate to every demand from the minority party. His job is to lead the House and work toward solutions that can actually pass both chambers.
The question Americans should be asking is simple: If Democrats believe reopening the government is so urgent, why not pass the continuing resolution and fight the healthcare battle separately? The answer appears to be that Democrats see the shutdown as leverage and are willing to keep federal workers in limbo to extract maximum concessions.
That is not negotiating in good faith. That is hostage-taking with a smile.
As this shutdown drags on, both parties bear responsibility for the dysfunction. But interrupting press conferences and making dramatic accusations while refusing to answer follow-up questions does not constitute leadership. It is political theater, and the American people deserve better from their representatives in Washington.
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