WASHINGTON — On day 36 of the government shutdown, Rep. Dale Strong and other House Republicans stood alongside Speaker Mike Johsnon on the Capitol steps and continued to cast blame on Democrats for the impasse.
Strong, who has traveled back and forth between his district and Washington since the House has been out of session, huddled with Johnson and his fellow sophomore lawmakers after Wednesday’s press conference. They discussed the “pulse of America” during the longest-ever American shutdown.
Alabama’s 5th Congressional District is awash with thousands of federal workers who have been missing their paychecks for more than a month now.
“I do believe that the federal workers should be paid for the work that they’re doing, and I think that this right here, is a dangerous position that the Democrats have put the American people in,” Strong, R-Huntsville, told Alabama Daily News in an interview in his DC office.
Senate Democrats have now blocked a House-passed Republican funding patch 14 times while the House has been out of session during the entire shutdown. When asked if Johnson should bring back members to work on full-year spending bills or hold committee meetings, Strong, an appropriator, reiterated the speaker’s position.
“I personally think the Democrats ought to open government up,” he told ADN. “We need a handful of Democrats in the Senate to vote. The House has already taken care of its business.”
Bipartisan talks in the Senate have ramped up this week as lawmakers scramble to find a way out of the stalemate that’s causing flight delays and stopping food assistance from going out to Americans.
But after Tuesday’s Democratic election wins, Democrats remain determined in their fight to preserve expiring health insurance subsidies that are used to lower premium costs for Americans on the Affordable Care Act marketplace.
“The way forward is simple,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, told reporters. “To Donald Trump and the Republicans, work with Democrats, work to end your shutdown by meeting with us and addressing the health care crisis. The American people have spoken. It’s about time the Republicans finally listen.”
In speaking about the shutdown, Strong acknowledged Alabamians have voiced concerns to him about rising health insurance costs.
“It’s not affordable for anyone, and so we’ve got to get to work on that,” he said.
However, he said the issue should not be used as a “negotiation tool.” The congressman also wouldn’t say if he supports an extension of the enhanced ACA premium tax credits.
“Leadership has said they have a plan, but the thing is, you can’t even discuss a plan until (the) government is open, because we’ve got so many members that are not here in DC,” Strong said.
Once the government reopens, the Alabama Republican said he’s open to engaging in dialogue on health care costs. Now, there’s less than two months to have that dialogue before the ACA subsidies expire.
“Federal workers should be paid for the work that they’re doing, and I think that this right here is a dangerous position that the Democrats have put the American people in.” @RepDaleStrong weighs in on day 36 of the shutdown. #ALPolitics pic.twitter.com/lVZo0fGtFu
— Alex Angle (@alexangle_) November 5, 2025
As Congress nears the Nov. 21 funding deadline, which was set in the House-passed short-term measure, senators are poised to pivot to a new deal to end the shutdown. And Strong wants to be sure any new bill doesn’t lead to flat spending levels for a full year.
“I think a new date must be set,” he said. “I don’t support a year-long CR. I don’t think that’s for America. I believe that we ought to be getting regular order established here in DC.”
While members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus are pushing for a continuing resolution that keeps funding levels flat “as far into 2026 as possible” to block efforts to advance a “budget-busting, pork-filled, lobbyist handout omnibus in November or December.”
Returning to regular order includes passing more appropriations bills this year, Strong said. The House passed three full-year spending bills on the floor before Johnson recessed it in September, and all 12 have advanced out of committee.
“We’ve wasted four or five weeks with the government shutdown that these bills should have been voted on,” Strong told ADN. “But again, we’re sitting here because of personal opinions of Chuck Schumer and some others that just said, ‘hey, we need to shut this government down.’”