House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) directly challenged Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) recent comments that he had “given up on the leadership” of Democrats, arguing that the Speaker has not genuinely attempted to negotiate an end to the ongoing government shutdown.
The exchange came during an interview on CNN with Kaitlan Collins, following Speaker Johnson’s remarks where he called Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer “irredeemable.”
Minority Leader Jeffries countered the Speaker’s claim by stating that Johnson “hasn’t even tried to sit down and negotiate with Democrats” during the shutdown. Jeffries suggested that Republicans are “completely and totally uninterested” in addressing what he terms the “Republican health care crisis,” pointing specifically to their “continued refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits.”
When pressed on a reported phone conversation between the two leaders, Jeffries confirmed a brief call initiated by Speaker Johnson but maintained that it was not a “substantive discussion” on finding a path forward. He linked the lack of negotiation to the former president, arguing that “Donald Trump has not given Mike Johnson permission to enter into a bipartisan negotiation.”
Focus on Health Care and Partisan Bills
Jeffries insisted that House Democrats would only support a spending agreement that is “bipartisan in nature” and “decisively addresses the Republican health care crisis.” He accused House Republicans of being “uninterested in doing anything other than jamming their Partisan Republican spending bill down the throats of the American people.”
The US House has already passed the continuing resolution to keep the government open on September 19; however, Senate Democrats voted 13 times to keep the government shut down.
The Minority Leader also addressed the potential impact of the shutdown on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
Jeffries stated that the Trump administration already has access to a contingency fund to continue providing benefits and accused them of trying to “weaponize this issue and cause people to go hungry in the most callous and cruel manner possible.”
On the question of whether a moderate Democrat’s call for a simpler resolution to fund the government and vote separately on the ACA tax credits represented “cracks” in Democratic unity, Jeffries dismissed the notion, reaffirming that the caucus is united in their demand for “something legislative” to protect American healthcare.
Jeffries reiterated the Democratic commitment to finding a path forward, saying, “We’ve said to Republicans, get to the negotiating table. We want to find a bipartisan path forward. We want to reopen the government.”
READ: Hakeem Jeffries Blames Trump For JFK Air Traffic Standstill Amid Government Shutdown
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