House Republicans have criticized Democratic leaders for their approach to ongoing government funding negotiations. In a statement released Thursday, Republican members accused House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of shifting blame for the possibility of a government shutdown.
According to the release, House Republicans claim they passed a "clean resolution" intended to keep the government open. They argue that Democrats are seeking additional provisions and over $1 trillion in new spending for four weeks of funding. The statement reads: "Democrats are demanding extraneous provisions and more than$1 trillion in new spending for just four weeks of government funding. That’s not a negotiation – it’s extortion."
The release also notes that Democrats previously supported short-term funding extensions under the last administration. It points out that those same Democrats had described shutdowns as “dangerous,” “disastrous,” and causing “self-inflicted harm” to various groups including seniors, veterans, servicemembers, families, and the economy.
Republicans further state: "A clean, short-term CR is exactly what House and Senate Democrats requested at the start of this process." However, they assert that Democrats rejected a nonpartisan continuing resolution aimed at keeping the government open while appropriators finish work on fiscal year 2026 legislation.
The statement poses several questions directed at Democratic lawmakers:
“How does voting for a government shutdown protect the operations of the federal government?
How does opposing a clean, short-term continuing resolution that prevents harmful disruptions to our national security and vital programs support Americans?
How does voting to furlough government workers help those employees or their families?
How is this clean, short-term stopgap different from the many they voted for previously?
How does forcing a shutdown help good-faith negotiations on the three FY26 conference bills already underway?
How did holding up full-year negotiations with unrelated provisions work out for Democrats in FY25?”
The statement concludes by asserting: "While Democrat leadership doubles down on creating an ordeal, we’ll remind them who've always led the art of the deal. This is no shutdown showdown – it’s a situation designed by Democrats. If House and Senate Democrats wanted to keep the government open and serving the American people, they would have voted for H.R. 5371."
