Mike Johnson rejects Hakeem Jeffries' 'desperate' demand for televised shutdown debate

WASHINGTON, DC: House Speaker Mike Johnson, during his press conference on Monday, October 6, dismissed House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ demand for a live televised debate on the House floor regarding the ongoing government shutdown. 

Johnson called Jeffries' challenge a "publicity stunt" that he won’t entertain.

Mike Johnson says no to Hakeem Jeffries' debate demand

Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) wrote to Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Monday morning, challenging him to a debate on the House floor any day this week, to be broadcast live to the American people. In response, Johnson suggested that he would not entertain that labelling the move a “publicity stunt.”

"When the poll says that about 13% of the people approve of your messaging, then you make desperate pleas for attention, and that's what Hakeem Jeffries has done," Johnson said to the reporters. 

Mike Johnson insists the House has 'done its job'

Mike Johnson went on to say, "We debated all this on the House floor. As you know, before we passed our bill, he spoke for seven or eight minutes. He had all of his colleagues lined up. They gave it their best shot, and they argued, and they stomped their feet and screamed at us and all that. And still we passed the bill in bipartisan fashion and sent it over to the Senate."

The Republican was referring to a short-term federal funding bill to keep the government running until November 21. 

"The House has done its job. I'm not going to let Hakeem try to pretend for theatrics. I mean, this is a [Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY] decision. The ball is in the Senate's court now," Johnson said. 

"We don't need to waste time on that nonsense. Those debates have been had. I mean, Hakeem is a friend and a colleague. I respect him, but we all know what he's trying to do there," he added.

Hakeem Jeffries blames the GOP for government shutdown

The government is in its sixth day of the shutdown, with Senate Democrats rejecting the GOP-led funding plan four times.

"Democrats have been clear and consistent in our position. The country needs immediate, bipartisan negotiations between the White House and congressional leadership in order to reach an enlightened spending agreement that reopens the government, improves the lives of hardworking American taxpayers, and addresses the Republican healthcare crisis," Jeffries wrote to Johnson on Monday.

"Unfortunately, Donald Trump and your party decided to shut down the government, because the GOP refuses to provide healthcare to everyday Americans. Further, you have kept House Republicans on vacation instead of working with Democrats to reopen the government," he added.