Fox News Reporter Presses Speaker Johnson on Trump’s Absence from Shutdown Talks: Why Isn’t He ‘Involved?’

Fox reporter Chad Pergram relentlessly pressed House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Wednesday about President Donald Trump’s involvement in talks surrounding the partial government shutdown.

During a Capitol Hill briefing, the network’s chief congressional correspondent confronted the speaker on whether the president is engaged in negotiations to end the nearly 40-day partial government shutdown.

The shutdown has affected the Department of Homeland Security and the TSA, and has been blamed for longer-than-usual wait times at some of America’s airports.

“Is the only person who can solve this the president of the United States, and why isn’t he involved?” Pergram asked Johnson.

As Johnson argued that Trump is involved in the talks, Pergram cut him off, saying, “He shot down the plan yesterday.”

When Johnson responded that, “That’s what has been reported,” Pergram cut him off again, saying that Trump, “said that in the Oval Office he was not pleased with the plan.”

Read the exchange below:

HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON: Let Chad go first.

CHAD PERGRAM: On the government shutdown, Mr. Speaker, seems as though Republicans and Democrats are talking past one other right now. Is the only person who can solve this the president of the United States, and why isn’t he involved?

JOHNSON: Well, I think he is involved. I know he had a group of-

PERGRAM: He shot down the plan yesterday.

JOHNSON: Well, that’s what’s been reported. OK, he-

PERGRAM: He said that in the Oval Office he was not pleased with that plan.

JOHNSON: I actually have his exact quote somewhere. I think he said, umm… to paraphrase him, I think he said he’s a little skeptical or cynical that a deal is gonna come together. What we’re hearing, OK, in our chamber, is that there are discussions going on that Democrats are demanding to break off parts of homeland and fund it separately. I so appreciate Congressman Ciscomani as he noted, he was in charge of the homeland bill in its earliest stages coming through the House and it was a bipartisan bill. Remember, the Democrats agreed with all that. They understood. It’s one of the 12 appropriations bills in their annual appropriations packages and we always have Homeland funded as an entire department. There are obvious reasons for that. It’s very important. I don’t think we need to be breaking it apart. I think that’s what the president is reflecting there. He wants Congress to do its dang job. We have done it, the Republicans have. But the Democrats are refusing to go along on that, even though just several weeks ago they were in favor of it. Now they don’t think it is politically advantageous and they are playing games and it’s endangering the lives of American citizens and it’s causing real hardship for people.

Watch above via Fox News.

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