Fox News correspondent Aishah Hasnie interviews Rep. Pramila Jayapal during the government shutdown. (Fox News)
Jayapal added the party wants to continue fighting for healthcare policies, dodging specific questions about elderly leadership and redirecting blame for the federal government shutdown on Republicans.
"As the House Democratic Caucus has been doing as many as the Senate Democratic Caucus has been doing, and we want to continue that because I think [President Donald] Trump said it perfectly yesterday. He said that the American people understand who's responsible for this crisis," the congresswoman said. "So let's end it by negotiat[ing] and getting a deal that preserves health insurance premiums. And the ability to cancel all these cuts to make sure that we are actually working for the American people."
More than a month into the longest shutdown in U.S. history, Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, on Tuesday won the mayoral race in New York City, and Democrat Mikie Sherrill secured the New Jersey governorship.
Sen. Bernie Sanders during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"Well, the party leadership did not support [mayoral candidate Zohran] Mamdani in New York," Sanders said in front of the Senate podium. "Party leadership is not supporting [Senate hopeful Graham] Platner in Maine. And I think he's going to win… I think there is a growing understanding that leadership, and defending the status quo and the inequalities that exist in America, is not where the American people are."
HOUSE DEM CRASHES MIKE JOHNSON PRESS EVENT AS TENSIONS ERUPT OVER SHUTDOWN
Jayapal said the American people "did their part" by voting "overwhelmingly for progress to end Republican cruelty."
"They told us with their votes to keep standing up and to keep fighting for them. They did their part, and we have to do ours now," she said. "We have to save healthcare. That's been the crux of the fight from the beginning."
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has been criticized for failing to vote to end the government shutdown. (Rod Lamkey, Jr./AP Photo)
Schumer said on Wednesday that he and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., demanded President Donald Trump sit down with them to discuss healthcare issues.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Democratic leaders have been urging Republicans in both the House and Senate to confront the surge in health insurance premiums tied to the expiration of Affordable Care Act subsidies. Meanwhile, funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has lapsed.
Though several stopgap measures have been proposed by Republicans, including a GOP-led bill blocked Tuesday, Congress has yet to reach an agreement.
Alexandra Koch is a Fox News Digital journalist who covers breaking news, with a focus on high-impact events that shape national conversation.
She has covered major national crises, including the L.A. wildfires, Potomac and Hudson River aviation disasters, Boulder terror attack, and Texas Hill Country floods.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-dem-says-election-warning-democrats