House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) quickly moved to correct a Trump administration official after she said "we have failed you" during the ongoing government shutdown.
At a press conference on Friday, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins was asked why President Donald Trump could not find funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as other presidents had done during shutdowns.
"My message to America is, first, the fact that your government is failing you right now," Rollins said. "That poverty is not red or blue. It is not a Republican or Democrat issue. It doesn't matter who you voted for or even if you voted."
"That if you are in a position where you can't feed your family and you're relying on that $187 a month for an average family in the SNAP program, that we have failed you," she continued. "We implore the Democrats in the Senate to vote yes together, get this government open, and give these people the benefits that they need to feed their families."
At that moment, Johnson took over the microphone to provide "clarifying" remarks.
"When she says we have failed you, she means we, the Democrats, okay?" the speaker insisted. "Because as we've just explained, Republicans have voted 14 times to get this done."
"We're doing everything we can," he added. "They say, well, the Republicans are in charge of the federal government. Why can't they get this done? It's simple math. We need 60 votes in the Senate. We only have 53 Republicans."
Despite his remarks, Johnson has repeatedly refused to open the U.S. House of Representatives and negotiate with Democrats to reopen the government.