CNN anchor Dana Bash took House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to task during an interview this week over the “Schumer Shutdown.”
At one point during the interview, Bash suggested that, based on what the New York Democrat previously said, there is room for negotiation between what his party and majority Republicans want in terms of what it will take to reopen the government.
“So all of that is in the bill that you tried to pass, and it didn’t pass, that’s in your proposal, but you started that answer by saying we want to sit down and talk about it. That suggests that what you just said is negotiable, is it?” Bash asked.
“I think we’re always ready and willing and able to have a good faith discussion with our colleagues on the other side of the aisle to entertain any ideas that they may put forth with respect to both reopening the government and of decisively addressing the Republican health care crisis,” Jeffries responded, attempting to blame his party’s refusal to back a clean continuing resolution on the GOP.
“The problem that we confront, Dana, is that Republicans have gone radio silent since the shutdown began. No conversations, no meetings, no discussions. Donald Trump has held them back from even having a meaningful engagement to try to find common ground,” he said.
Bash then pinned Jeffries down with a follow-up question: “You’re right down the hall from Mike Johnson’s office. I know exactly where you are. You could probably take a few steps and go knock on the door and talk to him. Have you tried that?”
Jeffries said, “Speaker Johnson hasn’t been given permission to have a conversation with me or Leader Schumer, and he said as much earlier today.”
“So you don’t think he would talk to you at all?” Bash pressed.
The minority leader, in response, offered a plethora of excuses.
“We can have a conversation, but the problem is that until they get the green light to actually have a meaningful discussion to try to find common ground and a bipartisan path forward and a willingness to address the damage that Republicans have done to the health, the safety and the economic well-being of the American people, then, of course, any informal discussion is going to be not fruitful,” he said.
WATCH:
A long weekend away from Washington did little to change the standoff on Capitol Hill, as Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked for the eighth time an effort to reopen the federal government.
The move came despite mounting pressure following the Trump administration’s warning of mass firings, announced over the weekend by Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought. The administration has argued that the partial shutdown cannot continue without significant spending reforms, while Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), have insisted on preserving key funding priorities.
One potential crisis was eased, however, after President Donald Trump directed the Pentagon to reallocate funds to ensure that military service members receive their paychecks on schedule Oct. 15, even as broader government operations remain suspended, Fox News noted.
That said, another payday is approaching – so far, unfunded – for Senate staffers.
Both parties remain entrenched in the same positions that triggered the government shutdown earlier this month. Negotiations continue, but so far no breakthrough has been reached that either side is prepared to accept, Fox added.
Senate Democrats are pushing for an extension of expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies ahead of the Nov. 1 open enrollment period. They argue that without congressional action, millions of Americans who rely on the tax credits will face sharp premium increases.
President Donald Trump, however, has shown no indication of conceding to those demands. He reiterated Republicans’ position that Democrats are seeking to reverse $1.5 trillion in spending cuts enacted under the “big, beautiful bill.”