Speaker Mike Johnson canceled House votes for a third straight week in a bid to put pressure on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer during the government shutdown. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo; Allison Robbert/AP Photo)
Republicans put forward last month a seven-week extension of fiscal year (FY) 2025 funding levels, called a continuing resolution (CR), aimed at giving congressional negotiators more time to strike a long-term deal for FY2026.
But Democrats in the House and Senate were infuriated by being sidelined in those talks. Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said their caucuses would not accept any deal that does not include serious healthcare concessions, at least extending COVID-19 pandemic-era Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of this year.
Johnson and Republicans have accused Schumer of kowtowing to pressure by progressives after he was key to helping the same funding bill pass the Senate in March, avoiding a shutdown earlier this year. That move saw Schumer face a barrage of attacks from his left flank.
SCREAMING MATCH ERUPTS BETWEEN HAKEEM JEFFRIES, MIKE LAWLER AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CHAOS CONTINUES
New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani speaks during an interview on "The Story with Martha MacCallum" on Fox News in New York City, Oct. 15, 2025. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
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He said Democrats "have to stand for the farthest-left ideas, socialism, communism, Marxism, right now to be in favor in the Democratic Party."
Schumer, in turn, has criticized Johnson for his decision to keep the House in recess while the Senate's fiscal standoff continues.
"Republican leaders, especially Speaker Johnson, continue to dig in. The speaker has now kept the House Republicans on vacation for three weeks, as if they can make the issue go away by letting House Republicans hide. Well, the American people don't have time for Republican inaction," Schumer said Wednesday.
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/johnson-says-marxists-run-democratic-party-government-shutdown-heads-next-week