Hakeem Jeffries rambles, refuses to say if government shutdown will drag past Thanksgiving

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries avoided giving a direct answer when asked whether the government shutdown would extend past Thanksgiving while on CNN’s “OutFront with Erin Burnett” on Monday.

The shutdown officially began on Oct. 1 after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer led almost all Senate Democrats in opposing a bipartisan bill to fund the government. CNN’s Erin Burnett asked Jeffries if he thinks the closure could go “well past” Thanksgiving, quoting House Speaker Mike Johnson, who said he believes it could be “the longest shutdown in the history of ever.”

“Well, our view is that we as Democrats in both the House and the Senate, Leader Schumer has been clear that we’ll sit down with anyone, anytime, anyplace, either here at the Capitol or back at the White House in order to reopen the government, find a path toward a bipartisan spending agreement,” Jeffries said. “But that agreement actually needs to meet the needs of the American people and improve the quality of life of everyday Americans, while at the same time, decisively addressing the healthcare crisis that Republicans have created.”

WATCH:

“We’re talking about the largest cut to Medicaid in American history. Hospitals, nursing homes, and community-based health clinics are closing all across America. Just earlier today, it was announced that more than 50 hospitals in rural Alabama are at risk of closing because of what Republicans have done in their one big ugly bill,” Jeffries claimed, referring to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which President Donald Trump signed on July 4. “Now, as a result of the Republican refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, we know that tens of millions of Americans are about to experience dramatically increased premiums, copays, and deductibles, including in places like West Virginia, Wyoming, Alaska, Mississippi, and Tennessee.”

With the government shut down for nearly three weeks, almost all Senate Democrats voted down a bipartisan funding measure on Monday evening — marking the eleventh consecutive failed attempt to reopen the government.

Since the shutdown started, Democrats have blamed Republicans for not negotiating on healthcare. In contrast, Republicans accused Democrats of not only trying to provide healthcare to illegal immigrants but said Schumer is led by the left wing of his party, including Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

The longest government shutdown in U.S. history occurred during Trump’s first term in December 2018 and January 2019 — lasting for a total of 35 days. If the current shutdown extends past Nov. 4, it will break this record.

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