Rep. Jeffries blames divided Republicans for stalled budget talks

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries Friday accused divided Republicans of dropping the ball connected negotiations with Democrats connected a spending program to debar a looming authorities shutdown.

The Democratic House Minority Leader said his GOP counterparts were too engaged squabbling amongst themselves to enactment a connection to the array that volition support the authorities funded past a March 14 deadline.

“We’ve been waiting time aft day, week aft week, period aft period for the Republican fund proposal,” Jeffries said astatine a Capitol Hill property conference. Where is it? What’s the problem?”

Jeffries mocked Republicans for pleading for Democratic help to walk a spending plan, adjacent though they regularly assertion to person won a sweeping mandate successful the November election.

“We’ve been lectured for months by Republicans astir their large mandate,” helium said. “So I’m confused astir the leverage that we allegedly person successful the look of specified an overwhelming mandate that was fixed to Republicans by the American people.”

The Brooklyn Democrat accused Republicans of being locked successful a “GOP civilian war” betwixt fund shortage hawks and those who privation to slash taxes for the affluent astatine immoderate cost.

“They person been benignant of engaged warring amongst themselves astir however large the taxation cuts volition beryllium for their billionaire buddies and however overmuch they are going to chopped retired of Medicaid. I get it. Republicans person been busy.”

Jeffries spoke retired minutes aft House Speaker Mike Johnson sought to blasted Democrats for what helium called “an impasse” successful fund talks. He told reporters to “ask Jeffries” wherefore the negotiations were stalled.

Republicans clasp a constrictive three-seat bulk successful the House, but a fistful of blimpish Republicans regularly garbage to ballot for what they telephone wasteful spending plans.

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks with reporters astatine the Capitol connected Wednesday. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

In the past Congress, that dynamic forced Johnson to regularly negociate deals with Democrats to walk spending plans and support the authorities open.

But that bipartisan practice came earlier President Trump started unilaterally slashing national programs and adjacent vowing to destruct full agencies that Congress funded.

Democrats are present little apt to assistance Johnson lick his ain governmental headaches, particularly erstwhile Republicans are eyeing one oregon much sweeping truthful called fund reconciliation bills to walk Trump’s arguable docket done the Senate without the 60 votes usually needed to walk legislation.