Rep. Kevin Kiley of California was already one of the most vocal Republican critics of Speaker Mike Johnson — even before the government shutdown began earlier this month.
Two weeks into the gap, Kiley made clear in an interview Tuesday that he has no intention of silencing Johnson’s actions on the shutdown, the future of crucial health insurance subsidies and a controversial GOP redistricting campaign that has suddenly thrown Kiley’s own political future into doubt.
Having already called Johnson’s strategy to keep the House out of session during the shutdown “disgraceful,” Kiley reiterated Tuesday that it was the “wrong decision” and threatened to extend the impasse.
Rank-and-file members may increase pressure to find “some sort of deal” to end the shutdown, Kiley said. “When people just aren’t here and those conversations aren’t happening,” he added, it allows “calcification” of hard-line positions on both sides.
Kiley, who was in Washington on Tuesday for an otherwise sparsely attended pro forma afternoon session, added that the no-show strategy also means House Republicans are “back behind” on full-year spending bills that could be part of a long-term shutdown solution: “All the things we should have done and worked on are not being done.”
So far, Johnson has shown no signs of slowing down. He echoed private House Republicans’ call Tuesday for members to stay in their districts with 48 hours’ notice to return, and members of his circle argued that members like Kiley are a small minority of GOP dissidents.
But Kiley emerged as an outspoken and fearless critic who was ready to break ranks at a crucial moment for GOP leadership. The 40-year-old former state lawmaker from the Sacramento area says he’s simply trying to represent his constituents and push for a resolution to the damaging crackdown.
“You know, you’re not going to convince anyone to do anything different, to silence their feelings,” he said, comparing Johnson’s House shutdown to canceling a legislative session in California during the early days of the Covid crisis.
A spokesman for Johnson did not respond to requests for comment on Kiley’s criticism.
But within the House GOP, some see payback for what appears to be an existential threat to Kiley’s congressional career: the partisan redistricting battle now playing out across the country.
After President Donald Trump convinced Texas Republicans to redraw their House map ahead of the 2026 race. midterms, California Governor Gavin Newsom launched a campaign to do the same in his state. If the Democratic-backed ballot measure passes next month, Kiley and several of his GOP colleagues in the state delegation will almost certainly be unseated.
Kiley urged Johnson and fellow House Republicans to pass legislation to ban redrawing maps outside of the normal decennial census process. “Just because a party thinks it can gain an advantage by suddenly redrawing the lines doesn’t mean it should,” he said.
But Johnson has so far refused to act.
“I’m very disappointed that he acted inappropriately in standing up for our members and defending the House as an institution,” Kiley said of Johnson, noting the two had spoken on the subject.
Still, Kiley’s criticism of the speaker goes far beyond the redistricting dispute and even the tactical decision to keep the House out of the House — Johnson’s move to force Senate Democrats to pass a stopgap spending bill that Republicans, including Kiley, voted for last month.
Kiley also bucked most of his fellow Republicans, saying the GOP should strike a deal with Democrats to extend major health insurance subsidies to end the shutdown. Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune clearly ruled that out as part of any shutdown solution.
“It’s going to have to be negotiated — I don’t think there’s any doubt about that,” Kiley said of the subsidies, which expire Dec. 31. “So if there’s still a deal to be had, if we can try to get at least the beginning of it now as a way to get out of the shutdown … I don’t see why we shouldn’t at least explore that possibility.”
He also waded into another sore point, urging Johnson to swear in Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.), whom Johnson refused to seat until the shutdown ends. As a member, she pledged the 218th signature on the discharge petition, forcing a right-of-way vote to release Justice Department documents related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Kiley did not sign the discharge petition, but said he would be “inclined” to vote for Epstein’s bipartisan bill if it came up for a vote.
Democrats have also dealt with internal dissension: Rep. Jared Golden of Maine and Sens. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada supported the GOP-led House bill. But none were anywhere near as vocal in their criticism of their leadership as Kiley.
While GOP leaders have focused heavily on a united front against Democrats’ demands for a shutdown and made calls to some disaffected members, Kiley said he hasn’t received similar pressure from within the party.
“No such requests,” he said, adding that it would in no way stop him from speaking.