‘We Need the Speaker to Be Better’: House Republican Calls Out Speaker Johnson For Stalling Ahead of Possible Shutdown

Once again, the House of Representatives is on the verge of shutting down the United States government unless they can pass a bill to fund it. At least one House Republican is pointing the finger at Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA), saying he needs to “be better.”

CNN’s Manu Raju caught up with Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) on Capitol Hill to ask about how things were coming as another deadline approached for the House. While McHenry seemed to be optimistic about getting a bill passed and preventing a shutdown, he did single out Johnson:

McHenry: We need to get into the mode of getting things done, not punting things and pushing it off in the future.

Raju: What are you going to do about the shutdown, and the fact that you guys are coming back here with only three days to avoid one?

McHenry: We can avoid it, but it’s time to get on with the deal rather than dither. And we can do it.

Raju: But the problem is, has [Johnson] been just too indecisive? Is that your view of things?

McHenry: Look, we need the Speaker to be better. As a House Republican, I want him to succeed.

CNN’s Jim Acosta, who took over the 10:00 AM hour on Monday, further noted: “I can just hear people tearing their hair out that we might have another government shutdown on the horizon here. It’s just outrageous.”

Watch the video above via CNN.