Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders crashed a press conference scheduled for Democrat Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, calling on Senate Democrats to prolong the government shutdown if Republicans do not concede to their Obamacare demands.

GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson sought to calm uneasy Republicans on Wednesday, brushing off the party’s losses on Tuesday’s off-year elections as a temporary “blip” that doesn’t foreshadow trouble in the 2026 midterms.