The government shutdown has now lasted for about four days in a faceoff between Republicans standing strong on their non-negotiables and Democrats holding firm to their demands to prioritize funding for health care.

House GOP lawmakers returned to their districts on Friday for designated “work periods” at the direction of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who reaffirmed Republicans' commitment to resume legislative sessions when Senate Democrats vote to fund the government.

“The House will come back into session and do its work as soon as Chuck Schumer allows us to reopen the government,” Johnson said on Friday, blaming the Senate minority leader (D-N.Y.) for federal closures.

As uncertainty bubbles for leaders in Washington and federal government employees nationwide, Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) are set to plead their case to the American people during concurrent appearances on NBC’s “Meet the Press with Kristen Welker.”

Schumer and Johnson will also appear on CBS News’s “Face the Nation.”

In addition to questions about the shutdown, Johnson may be asked to address why GOP leadership has refused to swear in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.).

During Jeffries’s Sunday show appearance, he will likely reflect on........

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