Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries mentioned Sunday he’s “hopeful” a authorities shutdown may be averted as Congress lurches towards its Tuesday deadline to achieve a spending settlement.
Jeffries’ feedback come after President Donald Trump canceled a gathering final week with Jeffries and Senate Democratic chief Chuck Schumer to hammer out a deal earlier than saying Saturday he’d meet with the Democrats and Senate Majority Chief John Thune and Home Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday.
“Our view going into the assembly is that we wish to discover bipartisan frequent floor, to discover a spending settlement that avoids a authorities shutdown and truly meets the wants of the American folks by way of their well being, their security, and their financial well-being,” Jeffries advised “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz.
One of many details of rivalry between Democrats and Republicans has been the approaching expiration of a number of the Reasonably priced Care Act’s tax credit, which Democrats are combating to increase.
Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries seems on ABC Information’ “This Week” on Sept. 28, 2025.
ABC Information
“We all know they do not expire until the top of the yr, so why not approve this and simply get seven extra weeks to barter?” Raddatz requested.
“Effectively, as a result of notices are going to exit in a matter of days and it’ll be a shock to the system of on a regular basis People who’re already struggling to get by,” Jeffries mentioned. “And the problem that we’ve got on this explicit occasion is that a number of instances over the previous couple of months, Republicans within the Home have had the chance to vote with Democrats to increase the Reasonably priced Care Act tax credit. They usually’ve repeatedly and constantly declined to do it.”
Responding to Jeffries in a while “This Week,” Home Majority Chief Steve Scalise advocated for passing a short-term funding invoice to stop a shutdown and persevering with negotiations into the approaching months.
“Let’s let these talks proceed until November with this short-term authorities funding invoice that is within the Senate,” Scalise mentioned. “But it surely’s the identical ranges of funding that the Senate voted for, Democrats included, again in March.”
Home Majority Chief Steve Scalise seems on ABC Information’ “This Week” on Sept. 28, 2025.
ABC Information
Scalise famous that he, like Jeffries, is hopeful {that a} shutdown may be averted.
“I am not solely hopeful, I, Speaker Johnson, all my Republican colleagues voted to stop a authorities shutdown, and we handed that invoice to the Senate,” Scalise mentioned.
“There’s nonetheless time for an settlement to be reached. I am glad that President Trump is displaying management and assembly with all leaders, Republican and Democrat, Monday within the White Home, however in the end, these Democrats need to decide.” he added.
Listed here are extra highlights from Jeffries’ interview:
On upcoming negotiations with Trump
Jeffries: They didn’t clarify why [last week’s meeting] was canceled, aside from the assertion that Donald Trump issued that mischaracterized the Democratic place. Our place has been very clear: Cancel the cuts, decrease the prices, save well being care so we will handle the problems that actually matter to the American folks.
Our view going into the assembly is that we wish to discover bipartisan frequent floor, to discover a spending settlement that avoids a authorities shutdown and truly meets the wants of the American folks by way of their well being, their security, and their financial well-being.
On the affect of a shutdown
Raddatz: I wish to play what — play what you had been saying again in December after then-President-elect Trump got here out in opposition to the invoice Congress was working to move to maintain the federal government open. That is what you mentioned can be the results of a shutdown.
Jeffries on Dec. 19, 2024: Households might be damage. Farmers might be damage. Border safety and border patrol brokers won’t be paid. TSA brokers won’t be paid. Small companies might be damage in each single neighborhood.
Raddatz: And this time, the specter of mass firings principally and telling folks they could not be capable of come again to work in any respect.So, do you continue to consider a shutdown would broadly damage the American folks?
Jeffries: We’re at all times of the view that we have to fund the federal government and ensure that the companies that the American folks depend upon can proceed to be acquired. And in addition that we stand by our federal civil service. We have seen since January twentieth mass firings already happening by the Trump administration within the absence of presidency shutdown, as a result of that is what they decided to do, damage each day People.
Listed here are extra highlights from Scalise’s interview:
On the administration’s risk to fireplace federal employees
Raddatz: And the administration has threatened these mass firings of federal workers. What would that appear like? And is that one thing you — you assist?
Scalise: Effectively, I have not seen the complete particulars. However when you return to Covid, Martha, President Biden dramatically expanded, mushroomed the scale of the federal authorities, supposedly to cope with Covid. Effectively, Covid is over, and but lots of these federal businesses are nonetheless 20 or 30% bigger than they had been earlier than Covid. And so there’s been a necessity for a rightsizing of the federal authorities for a very long time.
President Trump’s talked about that with DOGE and different issues he is doing to attempt to save waste, fraud and abuse in authorities. And I feel everyone is aware of there are billions, and tens of billions of {dollars} in waste, fraud and abuse that also must be rooted out. We received to a few of that, however there’s extra that must be carried out.
On the James Comey indictment
Raddatz: Let me learn you what your fellow Republican caucus member, Consultant Don Bacon, wrote in response to the indictment: “Lawfare undermines our nice nation. It did not begin in January, but it surely did not finish both. The continued escalation will solely damage us all.”
Your response to that?
Scalise: Effectively, we noticed an unbelievable abuse of energy from federal businesses for years and years. And, frankly, James Comey is among the important culprits in undermining the general public’s belief in businesses just like the FBI. He abused his energy, Martha. And now, in the end, he has been indicted for mendacity to Congress. This is not about what he did to the president. It is about mendacity to Congress and obstructing justice, and that is what he was indicted for. He’ll in the end go earlier than a jury of his friends. So he will get to make his case, however there’s severe costs.
