Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is glad the Senate finally managed to break through its weeks-long standoff on the government shutdown, he told Fox News Digital on Monday morning.

‘It’s a great development. It’s long overdue. It vindicates our position in this all along,’ the House leader said.

He added that he would have ‘a lot more to say at a press conference this morning.’

Asked how soon the House would return to session, Johnson said, ‘Immediately.’

‘We’re going to get everybody back on a 36-hour notice, so it’ll be happening early this week,’ Johnson said.

The House has not been in session since Sept. 19, when lawmakers there first passed a bill to avert a shutdown by extending current federal funding levels through Nov. 21. Democrats rejected that deal, however, kicking off weeks of a worsening impasse where millions of Americans’ federal benefits and air travel were put at risk.

Eight Senate Democrats joined all but one Senate Republican in breaking a filibuster to advance an updated government funding deal late on Sunday night.

It came on Day 40 of the government shutdown — which already holds the record for being the longest shutdown in U.S. history.

Terms of the deal include a new extension of fiscal year (FY) 2025 federal funding levels through Jan. 30, in order to give congressional negotiators more time to strike a longer-term deal on FY 2026 spending.

It would also give lawmakers some headway with that mission, advancing legislation to fund the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration; the Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction; and the legislative branch.

They are three of 12 individual bills that are meant to make up Congress’ annual appropriations, paired into a vehicle called a ‘minibus.’

In a victory for Democrats, the deal would also reverse federal layoffs conducted by the Trump administration in October, with those workers getting paid for the time they were off.

It also guarantees Senate Democrats a vote on legislation extending Obamacare subsidies that were enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic, which are set to expire at the end of this year.

Extending the enhanced Obamacare subsidies was a key ask for Democrats in the weeks-long standoff.

No such guarantee was made in the House, however, so Democrats effectively folded on their key demand in order to end the shutdown — a move that infuriated progressives in Congress.

With a deal to end the record government shutdown taking shape, President Donald Trump is turning to foreign policy at the start of the week.

On Monday, Trump will host Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House, the first official visit by a Syrian leader to Washington. Officials describe the meeting as a landmark attempt to bring Damascus back into the diplomatic fold after years on the international sidelines.

It will be the third meeting between Trump and al-Sharaa this year, as Syria’s new leadership works to rebuild a shattered nation and restore ties with Arab states and the West following the end of Bashar al-Assad’s 14-year civil war.

In a move paving the way for the talks, Washington eased key restrictions on Syria’s leadership ahead of the meeting.

On Friday, the United States lifted sanctions on al-Sharaa, mirroring a United Nations Security Council move a day prior, ahead of his meeting with Trump. According to a notice on the U.S. Treasury Department’s website, the Specially Designated Global Terrorist designations were removed from both Sharaa and Syria’s interior minister, Anas Khattab.

The White House meeting also comes against the backdrop of a grinding government shutdown that has paralyzed federal agencies and left Washington mired in a political standoff over funding.

Senate Republicans and Democrats have reached a deal to end the impasse on Sunday evening, but the government won’t officially reopen until the House, which has been out of session for nearly six weeks, approves the agreement. The measure would then go to President Trump for his signature.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Sunday evening, Trump said a deal to end the government shutdown was within reach.

‘It looks like we’re very close to the shutdown ending,’ he said.

The shutdown, which began on Oct. 1, has become the longest in U.S. history. It’s the 21st government shutdown since 1976 and the longest since a 34-day standoff over funding for Trump’s border wall halted operations from December 2018 to January 2019.
 

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is glad the Senate finally managed to break through its weeks-long standoff on the government shutdown, he told Fox News Digital on Monday morning.

‘It’s a great development. It’s long overdue. It vindicates our position in this all along,’ the House leader said.

He added that he would have ‘a lot more to say at a press conference this morning.’

Asked how soon the House would return to session, Johnson said, ‘Immediately.’

‘We’re going to get everybody back on a 36-hour notice, so it’ll be happening early this week,’ Johnson said.

The House has not been in session since Sept. 19, when lawmakers there first passed a bill to avert a shutdown by extending current federal funding levels through Nov. 21. Democrats rejected that deal, however, kicking off weeks of a worsening impasse where millions of Americans’ federal benefits and air travel were put at risk.

Eight Senate Democrats joined all but one Senate Republican in breaking a filibuster to advance an updated government funding deal late on Sunday night.

It came on Day 40 of the government shutdown — which already holds the record for being the longest shutdown in U.S. history.

Terms of the deal include a new extension of fiscal year (FY) 2025 federal funding levels through Jan. 30, in order to give congressional negotiators more time to strike a longer-term deal on FY 2026 spending.

It would also give lawmakers some headway with that mission, advancing legislation to fund the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration; the Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction; and the legislative branch.

They are three of 12 individual bills that are meant to make up Congress’ annual appropriations, paired into a vehicle called a ‘minibus.’

In a victory for Democrats, the deal would also reverse federal layoffs conducted by the Trump administration in October, with those workers getting paid for the time they were off.

It also guarantees Senate Democrats a vote on legislation extending Obamacare subsidies that were enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic, which are set to expire at the end of this year.

Extending the enhanced subsidies for Obamacare, formally called the Affordable Care Act (ACA), was a key ask for Democrats in the weeks-long standoff.

No such guarantee was made in the House, however, so Democrats effectively folded on their key demand in order to end the shutdown — a move that infuriated progressives in Congress.

‘Tonight, eight Democrats voted with the Republicans to allow them to go forward on this continuing resolution,’ Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said in a video he posted Sunday night. ‘And to my mind, this was a very, very bad vote.’

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., also announced his opposition over the lack of concrete movement on Obamacare.

‘We will not support spending legislation advanced by Senate Republicans that fails to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits,’ he said in a statement. 

Several Republicans also pointed out the final deal was not dissimilar to what Senate GOP leaders had been offering Democrats for weeks.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is sending a critical warning to House lawmakers as the government shutdown continues to wreak havoc on air travel.

‘As of Sunday, nearly half of all domestic flights and U.S. flights were either canceled or delayed, and it’s a very serious situation,’ Johnson said in comments to reporters on Monday.

‘So I’m saying that, by way of reminder, I’m stating the obvious, to all my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats in the House, you need to begin right now returning to the Hill. We have to do this as quickly as possible.’

The House leader was referring to taking up the Senate’s bipartisan measure to finally end the government shutdown, now on its 41st day.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expected to reduce air travel at the nation’s 40 busiest airports by 6% as of Tuesday, amid widespread staffing shortages that have been attributed to the shutdown.

Thousands of federal employees have been furloughed as agencies and critical programs run low on funds, while government workers deemed ‘essential’ have been forced to work without pay for weeks.

People in the latter group include air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers, many of whom have been forced to take second jobs and call out sick to make ends meet.

‘The problem we have with air travel is that our air traffic controllers are overworked and unpaid, and many of them have called in sick. That’s a very stressful job, and even more stressful, exponentially, when they’re having trouble providing for their families. And so air travel has been grinding to a halt in many places,’ Johnson said on Monday.

He delivered a statement to the press less than 12 hours after the Senate broke its weeks-long impasse on the shutdown, with eight Senate Democrats joining the GOP to overcome a filibuster.

Johnson told Fox News Digital exclusively earlier Monday that he would call the House back ‘immediately’ upon Senate passage of the bill — which he suggested could come sooner rather than later.

‘We’re going to get everybody back on a 36-hour notice, so it’ll be happening early this week,’ Johnson said.

The House has not been in session since Sept. 19, when lawmakers there first passed a bill to avert a shutdown by extending current federal funding levels through Nov. 21. Democrats rejected that deal, however, kicking off weeks of a worsening impasse where millions of Americans’ federal benefits and air travel were put at risk.

A Chinese consul general in Japan threatened to decapitate the nation’s new prime minister over her comments in defense of Taiwan, prompting outrage in Tokyo and underscoring the rising tension between the two regional powers.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who took office last month, told a parliamentary committee Friday that a Chinese blockade of Taiwan would likely create a ‘survival-threatening situation’ for Japan — one that could compel Tokyo to deploy its Self-Defense Forces in response. The democratically governed island sits just 60 miles from Japanese territory.

Xue Jian, the Chinese consul general in Osaka, fired back in a since-deleted X post on Sunday: ‘That filthy neck that barged in on its own — I’ve got no choice but to cut it off without a moment’s hesitation. Are you prepared for that?’

Japan’s government condemned the statement, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara calling it ‘extremely inappropriate’ and confirming that Tokyo had lodged a formal protest with Beijing. Kihara said Xue had made ‘multiple’ inflammatory remarks in the past and urged China to take disciplinary action.

China instead appeared to defend the diplomat. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters Monday that Xue’s words came in response to Takaichi’s ‘wrongful and dangerous’ comments, which he said misrepresented China’s position on Taiwan. Lin accused Japan of ‘refusing to face up to its historical responsibilities’ and warned Tokyo not to interfere in ‘internal Chinese affairs.’

Takaichi later told reporters her comments were ‘hypothetical’ and said she would refrain from making similar remarks in the future.

The episode threatens to strain already fraught relations between Asia’s two largest economies. Takaichi, a nationalist known for her hawkish views on China and close ties with Washington, has sought to deepen defense cooperation with the Trump administration. She has pledged to push Japan’s long-stagnant defense spending above 1% of GDP and to play a more assertive role in maintaining stability across the Taiwan Strait.

U.S. defense officials have long argued that Japan’s participation would be critical in any potential conflict over Taiwan, which Beijing sees as its own.

Japan’s chief cabinet secretary Minoru Kihara said that while the intent of the post was ‘not entirely clear’ Xue’s remarks were ‘extremely inappropriate.’ He said Xue had made multiple inappropriate statements and Japan has asked Beijing to take action.

Though the post was deleted, China backed up Xue. Foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said in a news conference on Monday his words were in response to Takaichi’s ‘wrongful and dangerous’ remarks on Taiwan, urging Tokyo to ‘take a hard look at its historical responsibilities.’

Takaichi said on Monday her comments were ‘hypothetical’ and she would refrain from making them again.

The consulate in Osaka could not immediately be reached for comment.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it is initiating the removal of ‘black box’ warning labels from hormone replacement therapy (HRT) products used to ease menopause symptoms, a move Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said is backed by decades of research on the therapy’s benefits and clinical trials that do not support earlier fears linking it to higher breast cancer mortality.

Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said at a press conference alongside Makary on Monday that the so-called ‘black box’ labels, the strongest warnings for prescription drugs the agency can require, were designed to ‘frighten women and to silence doctors.’

‘It warned of diseases and dangers that the data simply did not support. Bureaucrats at the FDA reacted out of fear, not gold standard science. And instead of correcting the record, the medical establishment doubled down in groupthink,’ said Kennedy. ‘The consequences have been devastating.’

Makary added that a 2002 study known as the Women’s Health Initiative — which fueled concerns about hormone therapy and breast cancer — was ‘misrepresented and created a fear machine.’

He wrote in a Monday op-ed in The Wall Street Journal hours before the official announcement that HRT, which ‘consists of estrogen and progesterone (or estrogen alone for women who have had a hysterectomy),’ is a ‘breakthrough for many women.’

‘It alleviates the short-term symptoms of menopause, including hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings and weight gain, and when started within 10 years of menopause it has underappreciated long-term health benefits that even doctors may not be familiar with.’

The ‘black box’ warnings, which were first added in 2003, were based on misinterpreted data and discouraged millions of women from using HRT, according to the FDA commissioner.

Makary highlighted a 1991 UC San Diego review that found HRT may reduce fatal coronary events by about 50% and a 1996 study from the University of Southern California that found women using estrogen replacement therapy had a 35% lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease compared with nonusers.

Kelly Casperson, a board-certified urologist, said at the HHS event that the FDA’s step to remove the ‘black box’ warning label would help ‘correct decades of misleading guidance.’

‘The FDA’s decision to remove the box warning is not just regulatory,’ she said. ‘It’s revolutionary.’

The ball is rolling to reopen the government, but there is still much left to do in the Senate before the record-shattering shutdown comes to an end.

Sunday night’s successful vote, which saw eight Senate Democrats splinter from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and their colleagues, was a massive step forward in the shutdown slog.

But there are several votes left and procedural roadblocks that could be weaponized that could grind the Senate’s march to advance its package to the House to a halt. If all 100 senators agree to fast-track the process, the package could move as quickly as Monday night. 

But if not, the bipartisan plan could stagnate in the upper chamber for several days. 

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., was optimistic that the Senate could finish its work Monday night but said that would be up to Senate Democrats.

‘Obviously, there are objections from the left, but as long as the votes are there to proceed, we will move forward, and hopefully without a lot of disruption or delay or fanfare right now,’ Thune said. ‘The point is, we are on a path to get the government reopened, and we should try to get it done as soon as possible.’

Schumer didn’t say whether Democrats would block any attempt to move the process along but did blame President Donald Trump and Republicans for the shutdown, which stretched into its 41st day on Monday.

The core of Democrats’ shutdown demands rested on a guarantee that expiring Obamacare subsidies would be dealt with before Schumer released the votes to reopen the government. But, the deal that was struck among bipartisan negotiators only reaffirmed Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s, R-S.D., earlier promise of a vote once the shutdown ended.

‘Democrats demanded that we find a way to fix this crisis and quickly,’ Schumer said. ‘But Republicans have refused to move an inch, so I cannot support the Republican bill that’s on the floor, because it fails to do anything of substance to fix America’s healthcare crisis.’

Whether Senate Democrats are in line with a cohesive strategy to block the package remains to be seen. But Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., told Fox News Digital that he ‘didn’t hear anything’ about objections or blocks during the Democratic caucus’ closed-door meeting Sunday night.

‘I think a lot of us are just kind of taking in the information we heard today, talking to each other as Senate colleagues, and then we’re gonna make determinations later,’ he said.

And Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who was furious at the outcome of the deal, appeared to put any chance of him objecting on ice.

‘I understand that the way the process has been developed, it is impossible to delay the votes that are going to take place,’ Sanders said. ‘And if that were not the case, that is certainly what I would do.’

Still, there is a worry that there may be some dissension within the GOP’s ranks from Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.

Paul is unhappy with the addition of language in the three-bill spending package that he argued would kneecap the hemp industry in his state, which played out in a battle between him and fellow Kentucky Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell earlier this year.

A spokesperson for Paul told Fox News Digital that Paul affirmed ‘his commitment to reopening the government without delay. However, he objects to the inclusion of provisions in the government-funding package that unfairly target Kentucky’s hemp industry — language that is unrelated to the budget and the government-reopening goal.’

And Paul further doused the notion that he would object with cold water, noting that he had filed an amendment to strike the provision in the bill.

‘Just to be clear: I am not delaying this bill,’ he said on X.