(MENAFN) US House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday held congressional Democrats responsible for the ongoing government shutdown, claiming they are putting political interests ahead of the public’s welfare.

"Welcome to Day 14 of the Democrat government shutdown," Johnson told reporters on Capitol Hill.

"It's two weeks, two weeks of Democrats in Congress inflicting untold pain on the American people for nothing other than pure politics, as we've explained at this podium every day of the shutdown," he added.

The shutdown has brought many non-essential federal operations to a standstill, furloughed thousands of government employees, and delayed crucial programs across multiple agencies.

Later in the day, the Senate was scheduled to vote for the eighth time on a Republican-backed temporary funding bill aimed at restoring government operations. Because the proposal requires 60 votes to move forward, Republican senators need Democratic support to secure passage.

With negotiations stalled, Johnson called on Senate Democrats to act.
"Today, Senate Democrats will have their eighth chance to end this mess by passing our clean, non-partisan continuing resolution, the government funding bill that would end all of this immediately," he stated.

Both parties continue to blame each other for blocking efforts to reopen the government. Meanwhile, federal layoffs have already started, as announced by White House budget officials.

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