HAPPENING NOW: House Speaker Mike Johnson holds a news conference on day 41 of the government shutdown. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/live-updates/government-shutdown-live-updates/?id=127124906 | ABC7NY

House Speaker Mike Johnson spoke with reporters at the Capitol on Wednesday morning, saying "we believe the long national nightmare will be over tonight." Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, predicted that he'll have the votes to approve the Senate-passed funding package Wednesday night. The speaker put the blame on Democrats for refusing to support a short-term measure to reopen the government over the course of 14 votes in the Senate and one in the House. He said "they have a lot to answer for."