We heard from the top Republican and top Democrat in the House of Representatives yesterday, and neither indicated there’s a compromise coming soon to reopen the federal government.
House Speaker Mike Johnson stood firm in his resistance to negotiating with Democrats on health care issues until the government reopens, blaming the other party for cuts to the federal government that President Donald Trump and his budget director are making as the shutdown drags on.
Asked on Fox News whether he thinks the firing of 466 Education Department employees is a sign the administration is preparing to completely shutter the agency, Johnson deferred to the Office of Management and Budget, adding, “I will tell you that the president takes no pleasure in this.”
Johnson implied the president was essentially forced by Democrats to fire furloughed federal workers.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also declined to budge on his party’s demands in an interview on ABC.
“I think what we need is decisive action,” Jeffries said, when asked if Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer should accept an offer by Senate Majority Leader John Thune to guarantee a vote on extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies in exchange for enough Democratic votes to first reopen the government.
Jeffries said he and Schumer had “repeatedly” made clear to Republicans that they want to negotiate a “bipartisan path forward” on funding that also includes an extension of the ACA tax credits.
As trust between the parties sits at a low point, Jeffries signaled that Democrats won’t take Republicans at their word that they intend to find a solution before the subsidies expire at the end of this year.
