Rep. Julie Johnson on the Government Shutdown & More!

The halls of the U.S. Congress are where bills are forged in the raging fires of political debate. As such, they are the frontline in the fight for the basic rights and economic security of every American family. As a radio and podcast show host, and attorney-mediator and dispute resolution professional, I believe that bringing clarity to these complex battles is vital to preserving our democracy. That’s why it was an honor to welcome Congresswoman Julie Johnson (D-TX 32), a true legal and legislative veteran from Texas, to The Legal Lens Podcast. Congresswoman Johnson currently serves in the United States Congress, bringing three terms of experience from the Texas House of Representatives, where she has served since 2018. As she noted, she checks all the boxes we look for: lawyer, legislator, and policymaker, the trifecta of a political trailblazer.

In our conversation, Congresswoman Johnson offered a bracing perspective on the government shutdown, exposed the real-world cost of eliminating Affordable Care Act (ACA) benefits, detailed the fight against racially biased gerrymandering in Texas, and offered a message of hope based on the power of the people. For the full depth of this critical, timely conversation, listen to our 36-minute discussion on The Legal Lens Podcast. You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Simplecast, and everywhere you get your podcasts for free, or you can listen to this powerful episode below:

Congresswoman Julie Johnson Joins the Legal Lens Podcast to Discuss the Government Shutdown, the Battle for Healthcare, and the Future of Texas Politics

I am certain you will be as enlightened by this conversation as I was. Congresswoman Johnson provides a uniquely informed perspective, drawn from decades as an advocate and a front-row seat to the legislative process. Here are relevant timestamps and topics covered:

2:55 – Who is Julie Johnson? Congresswoman Johnson’s career path from Dallas civil litigation attorney and mediator to a leading voice in Congress
6:45 – The ongoing federal government shutdown, healthcare funding disputes, and the future of the Affordable Care Act
26:20 – Redistricting and gerrymandering in Texas: current lawsuits, impact on representation, and the nationwide stakes
29:20 – Why California Proposition 50 matters for fair congressional maps and what voters everywhere need to know
33:30 – Due Process and the Fifth Amendment
34:30 – The importance of voter participation and public action in upholding democracy

To fully appreciate the gravity of the issues we discussed, from the shutdown and the battle for affordable healthcare to the fundamental fight against voter dilution, it helps to understand the guest delivering this clarity. So, naturally, this is where our conversation started.

Who Is Julie Johnson? Congresswoman Johnson’s Career Path From Dallas Civil Litigation Attorney to the Halls of Congress

Rep. Julie Johnson‘s path to the U.S. Congress is rooted in a lifetime of advocacy and a commitment to equality. Raised by parents who were public school and university teachers, she comes from a strong line of people who care deeply about education and young talent.

“It comes from both my parents. They were public school teachers, and then they went on to teach at the university level, so I come from a long line of people who care deeply about education and young people. I was raised by people who are passionate about building a brighter future for our country. And they’ve worked hard – one of the hardest working professions in this country is being a teacher, and all that you have to do and sacrifice to be a teacher and keep our country moving forward in these days is something we don’t acknowledge enough,” said Rep. Julie Johnson.

After attending the University of Texas for undergrad and law school, she moved to Dallas seeking a career as a litigator and a place to find her footing as a woman in a male-dominated space.

“At the time, I wanted to be a litigator, and a lot of women were not allowed in the courtroom by law firms. We were just then getting gender parity in law school. So I got a job at a large defense firm that didn’t just have women in their litigation – they had a female partner. I just realized that’s where I need to be,” said Rep. Julie Johnson.

Four years later, she started her own successful plaintiff’s firm, which she ran for 33 years. She was also a mediator, and said that, toward the end of her practice, she did a lot of civil litigation through personal injury, employment law, consumer litigation, and more.

But, as she described it, she’d always been involved in politics – even if it wasn’t direct.

“I was involved in politics in the sense that I was one of those activists who screamed at the TV a lot. I watched all the conventions and debates, and I always voted and raised money for other candidates who shared my values of a pro-equality world for everyone,” remembered Congresswoman Julie Johnson.

After the 2016 election, she was, in her words, “disgusted” and motivated to run for the state legislature, winning an election that flipped her Dallas County district from Republican to Democrat for the first time in over 40 years. Still, he never thought she’d win. After serving three terms, she won a competitive 10-way primary without a runoff to earn her current seat in the U.S. Congress.

“I’m the first democrat to hold that seat in over 40 years,” stated Rep. Julie Johnson with pride.

She described her current urban district in Dallas County as a coalition seat with a healthy mix of different races. Significantly, 62% of her constituents are renters, representing working families striving to get a better deal for themselves and their children. Ultimately, this is a major part of what fuels her fierce opposition to measures that punish working folks and support only the wealthy.

“People in Dallas are just out there working hard and trying to build a better life, trying to get their kids a good education, trying to be able to earn a little bit more at the end of the month. People here are just trying to get their family ahead. That’s what everybody wants – to be able to get ahead in this life. If you work hard and you do the right things, you should have government support that enables you to take care of yourself and your family. That’s what I’m fighting for, and that’s what Democrats are fighting for,” mused Congresswoman Julie Johnson.

The Republican Shutdown and the Catastrophic Cost to Healthcare

At the time of our conversation, we were more than 2days into the federal government shutdown. In fact, Congresswoman Johnson was reporting live from Washington, D.C., where Democrats were demonstrating their readiness to resolve the issue, while most Republicans were noticeably absent.

As for the reason for the shutdown? Rep. Julie Johnson did not mince words discussing a piece of legislation that is at the heart of the dispute, the Republican-authored Continuing Resolution (CR), which, she explains, is their latest attempt to dismantle the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

“The current administration says you either do what I want, or I’m taking my toys and going home. So we’re not doing what they want. I have voted against this bill every single time I’ve had the chance. It’s a terrible bill that eliminates healthcare for countless citizens. If they want my vote, they have to earn it. Just like I have to earn my vote from the American people. I am under no obligation to vote for this terrible thing they’re putting out there. Because that’s what they do. They like to force, bully, and intimidate, and I’m not here for that,” said Rep. Julie Johnson with steely resolve.

The Numbers Behind the Healthcare Crisis

At the heart of the dispute between Republicans and Democrats on this funding is the issue of healthcare and the discontinuation of some of the Obama-era and Affordable Care Act-era benefits. Congresswoman Johnson detailed the massive, catastrophic impact of the proposed cuts:

ACA Tax Credit Elimination: The CR eliminates tax credits for people on the ACA and substantially cuts Medicaid. This would make insurance premiums unsustainable for millions.
The Sticker Shock: She gave a concrete example: A Texas family in their mid-fifties with a household income of $82,000 currently paying $7,000 for health insurance would see their premiums jump to almost $23,000 if the Republican proposal passes.
Widespread Impact: She estimates that nationally, most people’s premiums would at least double. In Texas alone, this would add another 4 million uninsured people and, coupled with future Medicaid cuts, could result in almost 14 million people, nearly half the state, having no access to health insurance.

Congresswoman Johnson stressed that this is an “everyone problem” because hospitals cannot absorb that much unfunded care, forcing the costs onto those with employer-provided insurance.

“Almost 36 million Americans get their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, and what I’m hearing from my constituents is to stay firm, stand strong, and not give up on their health care. It’s so critically important. We have to fight, fight, fight, and that’s what Democrats are doing. We’re in lockstep. When the Republicans put a bill on the table that protects people’s healthcare, we will happily vote for it,” said Rep. Julie Johnson.

The Shocking Motivation

When asked for the motivation behind this move, Congresswoman Julie Johnson provided a straightforward answer that leaves no room for ambiguity – it’s to pay for a massive tax cut.

“That’s what this whole thing comes back to. They gave a $5 trillion tax cut to less than 1% of the people in this country, and to pay for that tax cut. The rest of us, over 99%, are left footing the bill at the cost of our livelihood, food security, fair trade policy, and our healthcare. We need to help connect the dots for the American people. They need to understand why we are here and why they are suffering. That’s what’s going on,” said Congresswoman Julie Johnson.

She predicted that the tipping point for ending the shutdown would be when federal workers miss a paycheck and, more significantly, when these new, exorbitant premium notices go out to Americans starting November 1st.

“What I’m hoping is that once people start dealing with the effects of these things, then the American people will start screaming. Once the American people start screaming loud enough, I think it’ll get the Republicans’ attention, and we’ll be able to end this nightmare,” added Rep. Julie Johnson.

The Fight for Democracy: Redistricting and Prop 50

Our conversation shifted to the ongoing battle over Texas redistricting. Congresswoman Johnson confirmed that the state legislature passed racially biased, gerrymandered maps designed to redraw five Democrats out of their seats and dilute the vote of Black and Brown voters.

“As you know, the state legislature passed very racially-biased, gerrymandered maps for the congressional district. They’re trying to redraw five Democrats out of their seats and add that to the Republican party by stripping our districts, where they take sections of it and pair it out with a bunch of rural counties,” explained Rep. Julie Johnson.

The Importance of California’s Prop 50

Congresswoman Johnson described California’s Proposition 50, the special election to potentially suspend the Constitution in the redistricting commission’s maps, as critically important.

She argued that with Republican states engaging in highly partisan redistricting, Democratic states like California must “meet fire with fire” to level the playing field. Prop 50 is fundamental because it has the biggest opportunity for Democrats to balance the losses anticipated from Republican states.

“All the states need to be on the same playing field. We all either need to be doing partisan maps or independent maps. We can’t have this half-and-half situation because it does a disservice to the process and gives an unfair advantage, and the stakes are too high for our country moving forward,” said Congresswoman Julie Johnson.

Due Process and the Fifth Amendment

Finally, Congresswoman Johnson spoke about the sanctity of the Fifth Amendment and the guaranteed right to due process in a court of law.

She highlighted that this right is currently under assault, particularly in the context of immigration, where people are being deported “without any kind of a proper hearing.”

The Power Is Still With the People

Congresswoman Johnson left us with a powerful and galvanizing message of hope.

“The power is still with the people, and because of that, we have a chance. Look at when they tried to squelch the First Amendment rights of free speech of Jimmy Kimmel. The people rose up. They responded. They used their voice. The people acted, and it changed the course. And that reminds us that when the people act, when we use our voice, when we engage, we vote, we must vote, we take to the streets, we protest, we exercise our constitutional rights, we can prevail. The power is with the people. It always has been, and hopefully, it always will be. That’s what we’re fighting for,” said Congresswoman Julie Johnson.

Do You Want to Hear More Powerful Insights from Legal Experts Like Rep. Julie Johnson? Subscribe to and Download the Legal Lens Podcast!

Our conversation with Rep. Julie Johnson was an urgent, in-depth masterclass on the current state of democracy and the direct threats facing working families across the country. She not only exposed the problems but also armed us with the clarity needed to understand them. Her insight serves as a stark reminder – the fight for healthcare, voting rights, and due process is a unified struggle for the soul of our nation. Don’t let the headlines leave you uninformed. The power truly is with the people if we stay engaged and empowered.

Listen to this episode today for Congresswoman Johnson’s full perspective and subscribe to The Legal Lens Podcast on Simplecast to ensure you never miss a critical conversation that brings law to light. You can also click the links below!

Also, to learn about all things Legal Lens, follow me on Instagram @iamangelareddockwright.

For media inquiries, please reach out to josh@kwsmdigital.com.

This communication is not legal advice. It is educational only. For legal advice, consult with an experienced employment law attorney in your state or city.

Congresswoman Julie Johnson Joins the Legal Lens Podcast to Discuss the Government Shutdown, the Battle for Healthcare, and the Future of Redistricting in Texas and the U.S. Politics