Democrats led by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries are in a messaging war with Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans as a possible government shutdown looms. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images; Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
"When the poll says that about 13% of the people approve of your messaging, then you make desperate pleas for attention, and that's what Hakeem Jeffries has done," Johnson said.
"We debated all this on the House floor. As you know, before we passed our bill, he spoke for seven or eight minutes. He had all of his colleagues lined up. They gave it their best shot, and they argued, and they stomped their feet and screamed at us and all that. And still we passed the bill in bipartisan fashion and sent it over to the Senate."
The House speaker was referring to a short-term federal funding bill aimed at keeping the government running through Nov. 21, in order to give congressional negotiators more time to pass fiscal year (FY) 2026 spending priorities.
That bill passed the House largely along party lines — with two Republicans opposed and one Democrat in support — but has stalled in the Senate.
The government is in a partial shutdown after Congress failed to reach an agreement on federal funding. (Getty Images)
Democrats in the House and Senate, infuriated by being sidelined in federal funding talks, have been pushing for an extension of Obamacare subsidies enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those enhancements would expire by the end of 2025 without congressional action.
"Democrats have been clear and consistent in our position. The country needs immediate, bipartisan negotiations between the White House and congressional leadership in order to reach an enlightened spending agreement that reopens the government, improves the lives of hardworking American taxpayers and addresses the Republican healthcare crisis," Jeffries wrote to Johnson on Monday.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
"Unfortunately, Donald Trump and your party decided to shut down the government, because the GOP refuses to provide healthcare to everyday Americans. Further, you have kept House Republicans on vacation instead of working with Democrats to reopen the government."
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mike-johnson-fires-back-hakeem-jeffries-desperate-call-televised-shutdown-debate