House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) warned Thursday that Democrats are ready to oppose a long-term extension of government funding at current 2024 levels.
The Democratic opposition in the House could be critical, because it is not clear that House Republicans, who hold a razor-thin majority, have the votes on their own to pass a “clean” funding bill.
The government will shut down next weekend without a new funding measure.
Jeffries has been pushing for a deal that would provide more funding for the government than the measure that the GOP is pursuing.
Specifically, he wants a 2025 spending deal at the levels approved by both parties under the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA), which was enacted in 2023. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is pushing ahead instead with an extension of current funding, known as a continuing resolution (CR), through the remainder of the fiscal year.
Jeffries emphasized that Republicans had “negotiated and supported” the 2023 deal, and suggested that if Johnson abandons it in favor of a CR, he’ll have to find the Republican votes to pass it.
“A yearlong continuing resolution is inconsistent with the bipartisan Fiscal Responsibility Act,” Jeffries said during a press briefing in the Capitol. “And so if Republicans decide to take this approach, as Speaker Johnson indicated, it’s his expectation that Republicans are going it alone.”
It’s unclear if Democrats would oppose a CR unanimously — some moderates might cross the aisle to avoid appearances that they supported a government shutdown. And Jeffries stopped short of committing his opposition, saying Democrats would huddle next week to discuss their strategy after the details of the GOP bill are released.
Still, Republicans control the House by just a few seats. And if an overwhelming majority of Democrats oppose the CR, it would force Johnson to unite virtually the entirety of his divided conference to pass the bill.
The Speaker said Thursday that he’s up for the task. Asked if he will need Democrats to approve the bill, he said, “I believe we’ll pass it along party lines, but I think every Democrat should vote for the CR.”
The bill is expected to be released as early as Sunday.
Emily Brooks contributed.
