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

Hakeem Jeffries wrote to Mike Johnson on Monday, October 5, challenging him to a debate on the House floor any day this week
PUBLISHED OCT 7, 2025
Mike Johnson dismissed Hakeem Jeffries' challenge as a 'publicity stunt' that he won’t entertain (@SpeakerJohnson/X, Getty Images)
Mike Johnson dismissed Hakeem Jeffries' challenge as a 'publicity stunt' that he won’t entertain (@SpeakerJohnson/X, Getty Images)


 

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

 U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks during a news conference after a House Republican Caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on September 24, 2024 in Washington, DC. House Republicans are working towards agreeing to pass a continuing resolution on the House floor to fund the government through December 20th. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks during a news conference after a House Republican Caucus meeting at the US Capitol on September 24, 2024, in Washington, DC (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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

 WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 27: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks during a press conference with other House Democrats on June 27, 2024 in Washington, DC. House Democrats are marking two years since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs decision, allowing states to enact abortion access restrictions. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks during a press conference with other House Democrats on June 27, 2024, in Washington, DC (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

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. 

MORE STORIES

Gavin Newsom said he’s 'moving on' from Joe Rogan, suggesting Rogan is too scared to host him
1 hour ago
Amid the debate over whether Joe Biden should step aside, nearly everyone around him agreed he needed to appear more in public to ease voter concerns
3 hours ago
Tucker Carlson further said that Gavin Newsom’s 'unusual ability' to show no physical signs while lying is probably useful in politics
4 hours ago
Don Lemon said those close to Donald Trump know about his mental decline but are 'too scared to say it out loud'
4 hours ago
For months, he has been playing cat-and-mouse with the 2028 question, even selling and handing out 'Trump 2028' merch like it is a real campaign
5 hours ago
Jamie Lee Curtis said an excerpt of her comments made it seem like she was speaking about Charlie Kirk in a 'very positive way', which she wasn’t
5 hours ago
Abby Phillip said Kamala Harris’s book burned bridges within her party, making a future presidential run challenging
6 hours ago
The White House earlier declined to comment on whether it intended to send Trump’s ballroom plans to the CFA or if the agency's approval was required
6 hours ago
First lady Melania Trump unveiled warm, fall-themed Halloween decorations at the White House, marking her first full holiday season since 2020
7 hours ago
Marjorie Taylor Greene demanded a clear GOP plan to replace Obamacare and criticized Speaker Mike Johnson for offering no specifics
12 hours ago