Top House Democrat signals Democrats will blame Republicans for looming government shutdown

WASHINGTON — House Democrats are signaling they will frame a potential government shutdown as the result of Republican intransigence, as Congress faces a funding deadline that could shutter nonessential federal operations. In a news conference Wednesday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Democrats are "ready to get to work, ready to meet with anyone, any time, any place in order to avoid a painful Republican-caused government shutdown." He also said Democrats would not accept a GOP-led plan to fund the government at roughly current levels through Nov. 21, dismissing it as a partisan exercise. "Republicans have clearly demonstrated they want to shut the government down throughout this process," Jeffries said, adding that Republicans’ leadership had not engaged in conversations with Democrats.

House Republicans passed a short-term continuing resolution last week to keep the government open, largely along party lines; only one Democrat voted for it. An attempt in the Senate to begin debate was blocked after Democrats, along with two Republicans, opposed moving forward. With the budget fight intensifying, both parties are pointing fingers at the other for the potential shutdown, which could occur at midnight on Oct. 1 if a deal isn’t reached in both chambers. "REMINDER: House Republicans have already done the job of passing a clean, bipartisan bill to keep the government open," Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said in a statement on X. "Now it’s up to Senate Democrats — who have long said shutdowns are bad and hurt people — to vote to fund the American government, or shut it down because they want to restore taxpayer-funded benefits to illegal aliens." Republicans have also noted that government funding levels have remained relatively steady since fiscal year 2024, when Democrats supported then-President Joe Biden’s spending priorities.

Democrats have pressed to include enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire at the end of 2025 and to reverse Republicans’ Medicaid changes and prevent Trump from making any cuts to funding allocated by Congress — proposals Republicans have rejected as nonstarters. Jeffries has repeatedly described the GOP plan as "partisan" because it lacked bipartisan votes in the House; he argued there was no discussion or attempt to find a bill that would meet Americans' needs. "It's partisan because it didn't have the votes in the House in a bipartisan way. There was no conversation. There was no discussion. There was no effort to actually sit down and figure out what type of spending bill would meet the needs of the American people," Jeffries said. "Don't accept that idea that it's the Biden spending numbers when the facts say exactly the opposite."

Democrats introduced their own CR last week aimed at keeping the government funded through Oct. 31, while also reversing Republicans’ Medicaid changes and preventing Trump from making any cuts to funding allocated by Congress — moves that were panned as nonstarters by Republicans. The party’s top lawmakers have indicated they want to avoid a shutdown by negotiating a longer-term funding package that preserves ACA subsidies and protections for vulnerable Americans.

A short-lived hope for bipartisan discussion dimmed on Tuesday when Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., had been expected to meet with President Donald Trump this week to discuss federal funding. Trump called off the meeting, accusing Democrats of making "unserious and ridiculous demands" in their push for a compromise to avert a shutdown. In remarks on Wednesday, Jeffries would not detail what he opposed in the GOP bill; he criticized the process by which it was formed, saying, "There was no conversation. There was no discussion. There was no effort to actually sit down and figure out what type of spending bill would meet the needs of the American people."

The broader funding debate comes as both parties escalate messaging around responsibility for a potential shutdown. Republicans argue Democrats are holding the government hostage to preserve liberal priorities, while Democrats insist Republicans are pushing a plan that would undermine healthcare programs and essential services. The looming deadline hinges on whether a bipartisan agreement can emerge in time to fund the government past Oct. 1.

With House and Senate negotiators working in parallel, the path to a resolution remains uncertain. The political stakes are high as voters watch how lawmakers balance funding needs with ideological priorities, and as the White House, Republican leadership, and Democratic leaders position their parties for the public- facing blame or credit that could influence upcoming elections.

Overall, the situation reflects a broader pattern in which each side accuses the other of brinkmanship while pressing to protect or expand political priorities. As the clock ticks toward midnight on Oct. 1, the next steps remain unclear, and lawmakers in both chambers show little sign of retreat from their stated positions.