Hakeem Jeffries BLOCKS Deal to Re-Open Government Over Radical Democrat Priorities

“This was supposed to be over. The Senate gave us a way out. But it’s Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer who are now blocking it—plain and simple.”

Hakeem Jeffries has made it official: House Democrats’ radical priorities are more important than making sure American families have enough food to eat.

With Senate Democrats splintering and eight of them voting with Republicans to end the Schumer shutdown, the House Minority Leader has doubled down — vowing to kill a bipartisan bill that would restore paychecks, reopen agencies, and stop the bleeding.

Why? Because it doesn’t include another year of Obamacare subsidies. It doesn’t include healthcare funding for illegal aliens. And it doesn’t fully restore the slush funds that were put into place in the pandemic era.

This isn’t leadership. It’s political extortion — and Americans are stuck paying the price.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries has announced that he will oppose the bipartisan Senate bill to reopen the federal government, setting up a political standoff that could prolong the longest government shutdown in American history.

The Senate-passed bill—which cleared with a 60–40 vote Sunday night—would have funded the government through January 30, reinstated pay for furloughed federal workers, and guaranteed a vote in December on the extension of Obamacare subsidies.

Eight Senate Democrats broke ranks to vote with Republicans, including Dick Durbin (IL), Tim Kaine (VA), and John Fetterman (PA). But Jeffries’ firm opposition all but ensures the bill is dead on arrival in the House unless Republicans pass it without Democratic help.

Jeffries defended his move on Monday, standing with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, calling the bipartisan bill insufficient and vowing that House Democrats would not support any measure that does not immediately renew the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits set to expire at the end of the year.

“We are not going to trade away healthcare protections for millions of Americans just to end a crisis Republicans created,” Jeffries told reporters.

His remarks echoed Schumer’s own repeated refusals to allow clean funding bills to come to a vote, despite multiple attempts by Senate Republicans to fund government operations and end the economic pain caused by the shutdown.

The government has now been partially shuttered for 42 days. Over 800,000 federal workers remain without pay, national parks are closed, and key programs like SNAP (food assistance) and WIC are nearing collapse. The standoff, dubbed the “Schumer Shutdown” by GOP leaders, began after Democrats filibustered a clean continuing resolution passed by the House back in October. That measure included no partisan policy riders—only an extension of current funding levels.

Just to be clear, there are House Democrats who don’t even remember why they shut down the government. Such as Rep. Janelle Bynum, an Oregon Rep. who couldn’t point to the so-called “poison pills” in the clean funding bills.

Critics say the Democratic leadership’s refusal to pass any CR without guaranteed long-term ACA subsidies has put partisan politics ahead of economic stability. While Jeffries claims to be fighting for working families, it’s these same families—especially federal workers and SNAP recipients—bearing the brunt of the standoff.

Republican Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday, “This was supposed to be over. The Senate gave us a way out. But it’s Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer who are now blocking it—plain and simple.”

Senator Dick Durbin, who broke ranks to support the bill, defended his vote in a viral post: “I cannot accept a strategy which wages political battle at the expense of my neighbor’s paycheck or the food for his children.” Wow.

Indeed, growing cracks are forming in Democratic ranks. With federal agencies collapsing under the weight of unpaid bills and families going without support, the political optics of a prolonged shutdown are beginning to turn.

Polling in swing states like Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Georgia shows voter frustration rising. A recent national survey found that 58% of independents blame Democrats for prolonging the shutdown. Even some progressive commentators are calling the strategy self-defeating.

Meanwhile, House Republicans continue pushing forward. Johnson has indicated that if Democrats won’t pass the Senate deal, the House may move to force votes on individual funding bills for key programs—military pay, food assistance, and veterans’ services. This piecemeal approach mirrors tactics used in previous shutdowns and is likely to put more pressure on Democrats to explain their intransigence.

The Senate deal—negotiated by centrists in both parties, including Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Angus King (I-ME), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH)—was billed as a clean compromise. It avoided spending cuts, reinstated federal pay, and offered Democrats the political cover of a guaranteed vote on ACA subsidies.

But Jeffries’ decision to oppose it appears driven by internal party dynamics. Far-left pressure groups and activist networks have been demanding full ACA subsidy renewals and broader healthcare reforms. Some House Democrats are reportedly concerned about primary challenges from the left if they back the compromise.

That’s a risky calculation. With the 2026 midterms on the horizon, and economic pain compounding daily, Republicans believe the shutdown stalemate could help flip suburban seats—especially if Democrats continue to block bipartisan resolutions.

In short, the blueprint for ending the shutdown exists—and it passed the Senate. But with House Democrats digging in, the suffering of ordinary Americans continues. Whether political pressure, public opinion, or Democratic defections will eventually break the logjam remains to be seen.