A military mother criticized Speaker Mike Johnson for not convening Congress to address the government shutdown as a crucial deadline approached.

The Republican House Speaker appeared on C-SPAN Thursday to discuss the ongoing stalemate between Democrats and Republicans, now eight days into the shutdown.

The standstill has already caused flight delays and prevented the Federal Drug Administration from being able to process applications for new drugs.

If over the government’s funding continues through October 15, military families may also miss out on their next paycheck.

‘I have two medically-fragile children and a husband who serves this country. He suffers from PTSD due to his two tours in Afghanistan,’ said the woman, Samantha from Virginia, to Johnson.

‘If we see a lapse in pay come the 15th, my children do not get the medication that is needed for them to live their life.’

She then pleaded with Johnson to take action.

‘I heard you earlier say you side with President Trump on anything that he says. Well I just read an article this morning that said he absolutely, wholeheartedly believes there needs to be legislation put in [place] that we do not miss a paycheck,’ Samantha said.

‘You have the power to do that!’ 

A military mother-of-two hit out at House Speaker Mike Johnson in a phone call to C-SPAN on Thursday, as the government shutdown extended into an eighth consecutive day

The Republican House Speaker appeared on C-SPAN to address Americans’ concerns

The federal government has been shut down since last week amid disagreements between Republicans and Democrats over its funding

‘And as a Republican, I am very disappointed in my party and I’m very disappointed in you because you have the power to call the House back. You refuse to do that just for show,’ she argued.

‘I’m begging you to pass this legislation,’ Samantha then pleaded. ‘My kids could die. We don’t have the credit because of the medical bills that I have to pay regularly.

‘You could stop this and you could be the one that could say “Military’s getting paid,” and I think that it is awful – and the audacity of someone who makes six-figures a year to do this to military families is insane.’

When Johnson was then given a chance to respond, he shifted the blame onto Democrats.

‘I want you to hear something very clearly: The Republicans are the ones delivering for you,’ he claimed.

‘We had a vote to pay the troops. It was the continuing resolution three weeks ago,’ Johnson explained. ‘Every single Republican but two voted to keep the government open so that your paycheck can flow. Every Democrat in the House, except for one, voted to close it.

‘The Democrats are the ones that are preventing you from getting the check,’ he continued, arguing: ‘If we get a vote on the floor to pay troops, it’s not a lawmaking exercise because [Democrat New York Sen.] Chuck Schumer’s going to hold that up in the Senate.

‘He has demonstrated by voting now six times to keep the government closed, that he does not want the troops to be paid – and you should listen to his comments last night as reported this morning. 

Johnson sought to turn the blame on Democrat Sen. Chuck Schumer, who has said Democrats will not vote on a continuing resolution until their demands are met

The has already caused flight delays and prevented the Federal Drug Administration from being able to process applications for new drugs. A man and a woman are pictured being turned away from entering the National Gallery of Art amid the standstill

‘He is enjoying this,’ Johnson accused Schumer. ‘He said “Every day it gets better for us.”‘

‘Chuck Schumer and the Democrats are preventing your family from getting the care they need and my heart goes out to you,’ the House Speaker concluded.

Yet President Donald Trump and his aides have refused to meet with Democrats over their demands to extend subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, that are set to expire at the end of December.

Tens of millions of Americans rely on these subsidies for low-cost insurance. If they are not renewed, some Americans could see their insurance costs double, or worse.

The Democrats have said they would not approve any funding extension until they can get concessions on the subsidies. 

But Republicans have argued that government funding bills should not be tethered to healthcare reform legislation.

They have put forward a proposal that would have extended the federal government’s funding at current levels until November 21 – which the Democrats countered with a proposal to extend funding through October 31 and make the Affordable Care Act subsidies permanent.

A sixth vote to reopen the government failed on Wednesday by a margin of 54 to 45. At least 60 votes are needed for any funding bill to pass. 

Trump has said he would only discuss extending the subsidies once the Democrats have agreed to fund the government

Amid the standstill, Trump has said he would only discuss extending the subsidies once the Democrats have agreed to fund the government.

‘I am happy to work with the Democrats on their Failed Healthcare Policies, or anything else, but first they must allow our Government to reopen,’ Trump wrote on his Truth Social page Monday night, after earlier suggesting his office was ‘speaking with the Democrats’ about a solution.

But Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin, of Oklahoma, told the Washington Post he has been meeting with a bipartisan group of senators to discuss a longer-term solution that would prevent the government from facing another shutdown in November.

He said the Republicans’ position on the shutdown has not changed and they will not make changes to health care policy until the governmnet is reopened.

‘That’s from the president’s directive,’ Mullin said, though he claimed the bipartisan group is having ‘productive’ conversations about ‘what happens next.’

It now seems that the shutdown will extend well into October as it enters a ninth day

Still, when asked whether a commitment to negotiate on the subsidies would be enough for the Democrats to reopen the government, Schumer said: ‘No. We need to solve the problem.’

It now seems that the shutdown will extend well into October as it enters a ninth day. 

The longest government shutdown in history came during Trump’s first term and stretched for 35 days between December 2018 and January 2019.