‘It was bipartisan, and there was nothing more to say’: Hakeem Jeffries blasts House Republicans for backing out of funding bill

Minority Leader of the U.S House of Representatives Hakeem Jeffries blasts House Republicans for backing out of a funding bill at the behest of right-wing extremists, warning that they will bear 100% of the responsibility for any harm that comes to Americans from a potential government shutdown.

House Republicans, Donald Trump, and Elon Musk have been highly criticized for throwing the House into chaos and threatening a government shutdown days before the holidays. The House had reached a bipartisan agreement for a new spending bill, meaning both Republicans and Democrats negotiated on and agreed on the bill. However, after painstakingly negotiating and releasing the 1,500-page bill that would extend funding through March 2025, Trump, Musk, and J. D. Vance got involved. Musk led the charge in opposing the bill, spending a full day incessantly Tweeting misinformation and false claims about it. Soon, Trump and Vance jumped on board, releasing a statement threatening House Republicans to back out of their own bill. Both Musk and Trump also levied their usual threats that GOP leaders would be “primaried” and lose their seats if they didn’t do as they were told.

As a result, Republicans backed out of the bill, even though it’s highly unlikely they’ll be able to come up with a new bill that both Trump and House Democrats will support before the deadline. A government shutdown is possible, which will inevitably harm Americans. It will cost the economy greatly, add to Americans’ stress over the holidays, and force essential government workers, like our military and TSA workers, to work the holidays without pay. Now, Jeffries wants House Republicans held accountable for what they are doing.

Hakeem Jeffries tears into House Republicans

While many are blaming Trump and Musk for the potential government shutdown, Jeffries has maintained his focus on House Republicans. In a statement to the press, he laid out the facts of the situation, which is that both Democrats and Republicans reached an agreement to “fund the government, keep it open, and meet the needs of the American people.” They reached a bipartisan agreement to provide disaster aid for Americans “whose lives have been upended” by natural disasters and to bolster support for farmers, veterans, families, and working-class Americans. Jeffries continued, “House Republicans have now unilaterally decided to break a bipartisan agreement that they made.”

He stated that because they agreed to orders to shut down the government and hurt Americans, “They will own any harm that is visited upon the American people that results from a government shutdown.” Jeffries concluded by pointing out the nonsensical nature of these Republican actions, stating, “It was a bipartisan agreement, and there was nothing more to say.” He posted his statement on X, referring to it as his statement on “House Republican chaos, dysfunction and extremism.”

In a follow-up statement, Jeffries emphasized, “House Democrats will never be bullied or intimidated by far right extremism, no matter who comes to power.” Republicans may think they can pressure Democrats into accepting Trump’s demands to avoid a shutdown. However, Jeffries is reiterating that they’ll do what’s best for the American people overall.

It’s easy to see how Republicans may try to twist the situation and blame Democrats for the shutdown. Hence, it’s reassuring that Jeffries and other Democrats are working to make it abundantly clear what really happened. His statement also demonstrates the complete chaos that is reigning in the Republican Party. Republican politicians like Speaker of the House Mike Johnson truly have no power anymore. They cannot exercise their own power in Congress or make decisions in the interest of the American people. They are mere puppets who can solely do what Trump and Musk demand.

Jeffries’ words, “They will own any harm that is visited upon the American people,” apply not just to the government shutdown but for the next four years. If the GOP continues catering to Trump instead of the American people, whatever harm comes to America will be on them.