Sen. Ruben Gallego Accuses Johnson Of Extending Shutdown To 'Protect Pedophiles'

Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego slammed House Speaker Mike Johnson over what he described as Republicans' reluctance to negotiate a way to end the government shutdown, which has now lasted 28 days and has no end in sight.

Speaking on CNBC's Squawk Box, noted that President Donald Trump, who has so far not gotten involved in negotiations, is currently in an overseas trip in Asia.

He then took on Johnson, saying he is "basically keeping his House representatives out until January to protect pedophiles," a reference to most of the party's reluctance to release files related to disgraced financier and abuser Jeffrey Epstein.

"So who am I negotiating with? the persons I'm talking to right now are everyday Americans who are worried that they're going to have their insurances rates doubled overnight because Republicans refuse to act. They're screwing up on tariffs, raising inflation and now will raise premiums," Gallego added.

While practically all Republicans are standing by Johnson's way of dealing with the shutdown, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is among the dissident voices.

"Inflation skyrocketed under the Biden administration. But it's like, okay, well, now we're in charge, and when are we working on this?" she said in mid-October.

The lawmaker has been repeatedly slamming members of her own party during the ongoing shutdown. A week prior she claimed Republicans don't have plans for health care and should be working on addressing the issue: "When it comes to the point where families are spending anywhere from $1,500 to $2,000 a month and looking at hikes coming on their insurance premiums, I think that's unforgivable," she said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson rejected the claim, saying the lawmaker does not serve on committees that deal with health care "and she's probably not read in on some of that."

Greene then escalated the feud further, saying "the reality is they never talk about it" and the committee "working on health insurance and the industry, it doesn't happen in a (secure facility)." "It's not a major secret," she added, noting that Johnson hasn't called her to address her concerns.

The Republican Rep. went on to say the party "has no solution" and is "not something that we talk about frequently, but it is a reality for Americans, and it's something that I don't think we can ignore."

Elsewhere in the interview with Axios, Greene repeated that "Republicans have no plan" for addressing health care concerns, and Johnson "has not had a single conference meeting about any sort of plan to deal with the ACA tax credits expiring."