Democrats and Republicans are clashing over short-term funding plans with a shutdown looming at midnight Oct. 1 if no deal is reached in both chambers. Hakeem Jeffries, the top House Democrat, emphasized that his party is ready to attribute the possibility of a government shutdown to Republicans. He claimed that he and Democrats are prepared to meet with Republicans in order to avoid the threat.
Jeffries stated that the House Minority Leader had a conference where he reiterated that the Democratic Party would not accept the Republican proposal to continue funding at current levels until November 21. He called this plan a ‘partisan exercise’ and said that Republicans have made it clear that they want to shut down the government. Jeffries accused the Republican leadership in both the House and the Senate of not having a single conversation with Democrats and making it clear they do not want to reach a compromise.
The House passed a short-term extension of current federal funding levels, known as a continuing resolution (CR), last week. The bill was passed along party lines with only one Democrat voting in favor. However, an attempt to consider the bill in the Senate was abandoned, with most Democrats and two Republicans opposing the measure.
Now both parties are blaming one another for the potential shutdown, which could occur by midnight on October 1 if no agreement is reached in both chambers. Republicans have accused Democrats of recklessly pushing for a shutdown and making unworkable demands in exchange for funding. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said in a statement that the House Republicans have already done their job of passing a clean, bipartisan bill to keep the government open, and now it is up to the Senate Democrats to vote to fund the government or shut it down because of their demands about benefits for illegal aliens.
Republicans also pointed out that federal funding levels have remained relatively stable since fiscal year 2024, when Democrats supported then-President Joe Biden’s spending priorities. However, Democrats, who are furious about being sidelined in discussions about the bill, are pushing for the inclusion of enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that will expire at the end of 2025 without congressional action.
Jeffries has also referred to the ‘big, beautiful bill’ proposed by Republicans, which includes new restrictions and work requirements on Medicaid coverage for certain able-bodied Americans. He and other Democrats have accused Republicans of taking healthcare away from millions of people. The GOP has responded that the system is being reformed to better serve vulnerable Americans who need it.
A short-lived hope for bipartisan discussion was quickly scuttled on Tuesday when Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., had been expected to meet with President Trump to discuss funding. However, Trump called off the meeting, accusing Democrats of making ‘unserious and ridiculous demands’ in their push for a compromise deal to avert a shutdown.
During his Wednesday news conference, Jeffries would not say exactly what he opposed in the bill but criticized the process by which it was formed. He explained the bill was partisan because it did not have bipartisan support in the House, there was no conversation or effort to find a spending bill that would meet the needs of the American people. He also argued against the notion that Democrats approved the spending levels last year, noting that most of his caucus opposed the bill passed in March that kept the funding levels extended through September 30.
Democrats introduced their own CR last week, which aimed to keep the government funded through October 31, while also reversing the Republicans’ Medicaid changes and preventing Trump from making any cuts. However, these demands were dismissed as nonstarters by Republicans.