Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said Thursday that Democrats bear the blame for the pain of a government shutdown, as President Donald Trump and his budget chief moved forward with identifying federal programs to cut.

“This is the way the system works. This is [Senate Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer’s decision, is to hand … the keys to the kingdom to the president,” Johnson, R-La., told reporters. “He has put himself in that situation, and it’s completely unnecessary. The president takes no pleasure in this.”

The government remains shut down after Senate Democrats refused to provide the votes necessary to advance a seven-week stopgap funding bill. Without the measure, agencies have begun contingency plans, delaying payments and preparing to reduce operations.

Johnson’s remarks came hours after Trump posted on Truth Social that he would meet with Office of Management and Budget director Russ Vought, calling him “he of PROJECT 2025 Fame,” to discuss which federal agencies and programs should face cuts.

“I have a meeting today with Russ Vought … to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent,” Trump wrote.