The partial government shutdown is here, and House Speaker Mike Johnson just lost his favorite safety net. In a blunt Saturday phone call, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries warned the Speaker that Democrats aren’t coming to the rescue this time.
While Johnson has frequently relied on across-the-aisle support to push through major spending bills, Jeffries made it clear that the Democratic caucus is “no” on the current funding package.
This puts Johnson in a massive bind: he now has to convince nearly every single Republican to fall in line, a task that feels like herding cats given the brewing civil war within his own ranks.
The sticking point is a two-week funding extension for the Department of Homeland Security.
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While the White House and Senate Democrats initially entertained the idea to buy time for negotiations, House progressives have reached a breaking point over ICE and Border Protection funding.
Representative Greg Casar and other members of the Progressive Caucus have been vocal, essentially saying “not one more cent” for these agencies without major reforms.
The backlash is real; Senate Democrats who supported a similar measure on Friday are already feeling the heat from activists back home. Jeffries’ message to the GOP was simple: if you want this passed, you’re going to have to carry the water yourselves.
This leaves Speaker Johnson staring down a “rule” vote, a procedural move that requires a unified party front. That’s a tall order when the House Freedom Caucus is already writing letters to the Trump administration opposing any tweaks to DHS funding.
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To make matters even more complicated, a group of conservatives led by Florida Representative Anna Paulina Luna is demanding the inclusion of the SAVE Act—which requires proof of citizenship to vote—as a condition for their support.
With Democrats sitting out and Republicans making conflicting demands, the path to reopening the government looks narrower by the hour. All eyes are now on a Sunday evening Democratic caucus call to see if any cracks emerge in Jeffries’ wall, but for now, the Speaker is on his own.
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