House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries broke with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Friday over a House GOP-backed stopgap bill to keep the government open.
Why It Matters
Congress has to pass the Republican-backed continuing resolution (CR) by midnight to avert a government shutdown.
Schumer on Thursday announced that he would back the measure, angering his House counterparts and the party’s progressive wing, who have called to block the bill because they argue it would give President Donald Trump too much power over government spending decisions.
Rod Lamkey, Jr./AP
What To Know
Jeffries drew a line in the sand on Friday, when he and other House Democrats rushed back to Capitol Hill from their Virginia retreat to urge Schumer and Senate Democrats to vote down the bill.
The CR needs to overcome a 60-vote threshold to pass, meaning at least eight Democrats need to join Republicans in voting for it.
“We are not afraid of a government funding showdown,” Jeffries told reporters. “And we will win that showdown.”
The New York congressman also declined to endorse Schumer as minority leader when asked if it was time for new leadership in the Senate.
“Next question,” Jeffries said.
Asked if Schumer had capitulated to Trump in backing the GOP stopgap bill, Jeffries replied: “That’s a question that’s best addressed by the Senate.”
Schumer announced his intention to vote for the Republican bill on Thursday, a stunning reversal from comments he made just one day before, when he said Democrats would reject the measure and called for a one-month funding bill that gives lawmakers more time to negotiate a deal.
“Funding the government should be a bipartisan effort, but Republicans chose a partisan path, drafting their continuing resolution without any input—any input—from congressional Democrats,” Schumer said in a Wednesday floor speech. “Because of that, Republicans do not have the votes in the Senate to invoke cloture on the House CR.”
When he announced his change of heart on Thursday, Schumer said that “it is my job to make the best choice for the country to minimize the harms to the American people. Therefore, I will vote to keep the government open and not shut it down.”
The New York senator also drew the ire of California Representative Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker and one of the most powerful voices in the Democratic Party.
“Donald Trump and Elon Musk have offered the Congress a false choice between a government shutdown or a blank check that makes a devastating assault on the well-being of working families across America,” Pelosi said in a statement posted to X, formerly Twitter.
“Let’s be clear: neither is a good option for the American people. But this false choice that some are buying instead of fighting is unacceptable. I salute Leader Hakeem Jeffries for his courageous rejection of this false choice, and I am proud of my colleagues in the House Democratic Caucus for their overwhelming vote against this bill.”
Schumer acknowledged the blowback he’s getting from within the party, telling The New York Times: “I’ll take some of the bullets.”
“There is no off-ramp,” for a government shutdown, Schumer told the Times. “The off-ramp is in the hands of Donald Trump and Elon Musk and DOGE. We could be in a shutdown for six months or nine months.”
As of Friday afternoon, three Democratic senators have announced they will vote to invoke cloture and advance the GOP’s bill to a final vote: Schumer, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada.
What People Are Saying
One Democrat told Axios: The “Senate left the House at the altar.”
Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told reporters: “This is about deep cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid…the evisceration of the federal government…codifying the looting that is happening at the behest of Elon Musk in order to pay for his tax breaks for billionaires. I think there is a deep sense of outrage and betrayal.”
President Donald Trump, on Truth Social: “Congratulations to Chuck Schumer for doing the right thing — Took ‘guts’ and courage! The big Tax Cuts, L.A. fire fix, Debt Ceiling Bill, and so much more, is coming. We should all work together on that very dangerous situation. A non pass would be a Country destroyer, approval will lead us to new heights. Again, really good and smart move by Senator Schumer. This could lead to something big for the USA, a whole new direction and beginning!”
What Happens Next
The Senate faces a midnight deadline to vote on the GOP’s stopgap bill and avoid a government shutdown.