U.S. House Speaker declines to convene sessions until shutdown ends

WASHINGTON, Oct 11 (KUNA) -- U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said late Friday that he won't call House lawmakers back to sessions until the 10-day-long government shutdown ends.
"We will come back, and get back to legislative sessions, as soon as the Senate Democrats turn the lights back on," Johnson told reporters in the Capitol, referring to Democrats' insistence on blocking the government finance legislation for the seventh time in two weeks.
"That's the fact. That's where we are," the house speaker said, holding Democrats responsible for the continued government shutdown.
Johnson's refusal to hold house sessions was designed to maximize the pressure on Senate Democrats to support the GOP-led stopgap spending bill, which passed through the House last month. (end) asj.mt