Jeffries Blames Trump, GOP for Pushing US Toward Government Shutdown

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries accused President Donald Trump and Republicans of “marching the country” into a government shutdown by refusing to negotiate over health care funding.

Speaking to the Associated Press on Friday, Jeffries said Congress still had time to avert a lapse before the Oct. 1 deadline but argued the responsibility rests with Trump, who canceled a meeting with Democratic leaders this week. “Donald Trump and Republicans are chaos agents,” he said. “At moments in time that require stable, presidential leadership, Donald Trump is incapable of providing it.”

The standoff centers on Democratic efforts to protect Affordable Care Act subsidies and block GOP-backed Medicaid cuts. Republicans passed a stopgap funding bill in the House, but it failed in the Senate, as did a Democratic alternative with health care provisions.

Trump’s budget office has ordered agencies to prepare for mass firings if the shutdown occurs, a harsher step than past furloughs. Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune insist a deal is possible if Democrats drop their demands, while Jeffries urged colleagues to “stay the course.”

Recalling previous shutdowns under Trump and Obama, Jeffries predicted Republicans would ultimately be forced to yield: “Their position is unsustainable.”