🔗 Share this article

GOP legislative leader Mike Johnson has accused Democrats are “lacking seriousness” during talks aimed at resolving the federal government shutdown, entering its fifth day with projections indicating it will continue through next week or beyond.

Negotiations among the opposing political parties hit a standstill during the weekend, and no legislative action expected to end the standoff. A recent poll indicated only 28% of Democrats along with 23% of GOP supporters consider their party’s positions justifies a government shutdown.

In his comments with a national television show, the speaker claimed the House fulfilled its duties by passing a measure for government funding and now the responsibility lies with the Senate “to restart government operations enabling federal employees to resume work”. He accused Democrats with not participating “in a serious negotiation”.

“They’re doing this for political protection since the Senate leader is afraid that he won’t win his next re-election bid for Senate reelection facing a challenge by a progressive candidate from New York, because that’s the new popular thing out there,” he said, mentioning the Bronx representative who may be looking to challenge the incumbent senator for his seat next year.

But Johnson’s counterpart, Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, responded on the same show that a Republican senator lied last week by asserting Democrats were being dishonest about their intentions concerning healthcare benefits for immigrants without documentation.

“GOP members are deceitful since they’re trailing in public support,” Jeffries said, noting his party was “advocating for medical care for American workers, of working-class Americans, of middle-class Americans”.

Jeffries also responded to remarks from the ex-president on a social platform in which he called the Democratic party as malicious and destructive accompanied by images of prominent Democrats, such as progressive representatives, the Democratic Senate leader, the former speaker, and the former president and first lady.

When asked about continuing talks with the ex-leader, Jeffries said the ex-president’s conduct “is shocking, it’s irrational, it’s unjustifiable, and it speaks for itself. The American people deserve better than lies, than attacks, than deepfake videos and the president spending excessive time on the golf course.”

Leaders of the political leadership haven’t engaged in official discussions for almost a week while both parties attempt to secure political advantage before resuming negotiations.

Jeffries stated that since that meeting earlier this week, “GOP leaders, along with the ex-president, have gone radio silent while Democratic leaders “will continue to make clear, the Senate leader and myself, that we will sit down whenever and wherever, with all parties to address this issue with the earnestness it requires”.

The battle for high political ground persisted through Sunday with Johnson claiming that the possibility of temporary federal employee furloughs, known as furloughs, hardening into permanent job layoffs “is an unfortunate circumstance that the president does not want”.

A top White House economic adviser ramped up pressure against Democrats, saying the White House may initiate widespread job cuts of federal workers if the president decides negotiations with Democrats are “absolutely going nowhere”.

The adviser told a national news program that the administration “are preparing measures and ready to take action if necessary, but hoping that they don’t”. But he predicted it is possible that Democrats might compromise.

“I think that everybody is still hopeful that with a new beginning at the beginning of the week, we can persuade the Democrats to see that it’s just common sense to prevent job losses of that nature,” the adviser said.

However, concerns exist Democrats have walked into a trap. Johnson said on Sunday that the administration had asked the Democratic leadership to keep the government open.

“Under these circumstances, where the Senate Democrats have decided to turn the keys to the kingdom over to the White House, they have to make difficult choices,” he said, referencing the management official.

The management official, the speaker stated, “has to now look at all of the federal government, acknowledging the funding streams have been turned off and decide what are essential programs, policies, and staff. This isn’t a task he enjoys. But he’s compelled to do it by the Democratic leader.”

The cycle of blame persisted as the Senate leader telling a news network that Johnson avoids discussing the real issue, the medical care crisis facing the American people. So he puts up all these fake lies to try and divert attention.”

However, during a discussion set to broadcast on Monday, Johnson told a different network he considers the problem of ending health subsidies – that Democrats place central to their negotiating position – as something resolvable later.

“We essentially have a quarter-year for discussions with the administration and in the hall of Congress, that’s ample time,” Johnson said. “We require participants acting sincerely to come around the table and hold those talks. And we can’t do it when the government is shut down,” he added.

A leading Senate Democrat also speaking to a Sunday show was asked whether his party members in the Senate remain unified following three Democrats broke away to vote with Republicans. He responded he was confident that “all Democrats understand that countless of their voters risk losing access to medical care”.

“We need a president who behaves maturely, who will negotiate and negotiate an end to their self-imposed healthcare crisis,” he stated. “Right now we don’t see that. We see the former president out on the golf course, we see the speaker instructing representatives to skip legislative sessions, that there’s no work for the federal government to do.”