House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt traded barbs on Friday. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images; Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
"Democrats do NOT serve the interests of the American people. Hakeem Jeffries is an America Last, stone-cold loser. Now open up the government and stop simping to try to get your radical left-wing base to like you," Leavitt said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Jeffries' office for a response.
Earlier Friday, Jeffries criticized Republicans as a whole for their attacks against Democrats, before he turned the focus to Leavitt specifically during a press conference.
"You've got Karoline Leavitt, who's sick. She's out of control," Jeffries said. "And I'm not sure whether she's just demented, ignorant, a stone-cold liar or all of the above."
AOC DROPS THOUSANDS ON LUXURY HOTELS WHILE 'FIGHTING OLIGARCHY' WITH SANDERS, FILINGS REVEAL
The government shut down after Congress failed to reach an agreement on federal funding. (Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
In fact, it's expected to roll into its fourth week after Senate Democrats blocked the GOP's federal funding measure for a tenth time on Thursday before leaving Washington for the weekend.
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. The majority of Democrats are refusing to 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.
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/exclusive-karoline-leavitt-slams-hakeem-jeffries-stone-cold-loser-after-he-attacks-her-demented