US 'barreling toward one of the longest shutdowns' in history: House speaker

The US is on track to face "one of the longest" government shutdowns in its history unless Democrats agree to pass a funding bill, House Speaker Mike Johnson warned Monday.

Speaking at a news conference on the 13th day of the shutdown, Johnson blamed the ongoing impasse on Democratic "obstruction," saying their refusal to compromise is pushing the country toward a prolonged stalemate.

"This would be the third longest government shutdown in American history," he told reporters on Capitol Hill.

"We're barreling toward one of the longest shutdowns in American history, unless Democrats dropped their partisan demands and passed a clean, no-strings-attached budget to reopen the government and pay our federal workers," he added.

The Speaker emphasized that Republicans are willing to negotiate on full-year appropriations and other pressing legislative matters, but only under transparent conditions.

"Republicans are eager to return to the actual negotiating table to finish out full year appropriations and do work on all the other matters before us, but we won't negotiate in smoke-filled back rooms, and we won't negotiate as hostages," he said.

While a government shutdown does not automatically result in a full-blown economic crisis, it creates major disruptions for many aspects of American life, also adding to uncertainty around the state of the world's biggest economy.

Many federal employees have been furloughed, or forced to work without pay, while others will be placed on mandatory leave until a new budget is approved. Each federal agency has its own shutdown plan, determining which government employees are essential.

In previous shutdowns, employees were furloughed, not fired, and no government programs were ended. Democrats say those moves are likely illegal.