‘No serious negotiation’: Mike Johnson accuses Dems of using shutdown for ‘political cover’
WASHINGTON, DC: On October 5, House Speaker Mike Johnson accused Senate Democrats of dragging their feet on ending the ongoing government shutdown, claiming they were using the crisis for political gain.
“They’re not serious. This is not a serious negotiation. They’re doing this to get political cover,” Johnson said on NBC’s 'Meet the Press,' singling out Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for allegedly turning the shutdown into a campaign issue.
Johnson also blamed Senate Democrats for triggering the shutdown, saying they prioritized emergency health funding for undocumented immigrants over broader spending measures.
Hakeem Jeffries accuses Trump, Republicans of going silent on talks
Appearing earlier on the same program, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries countered Johnson’s claims, arguing that Republicans and President Donald Trump have abandoned talks to reopen the government.
"The last time there was a conversation with Republican leadership was in the White House meeting last Monday,” Jeffries said.
“And unfortunately, since that point in time, Republicans, including Donald Trump, have gone radio silent.” Jeffries accused the GOP of “negotiation through deepfake videos,” referring to AI-generated content Trump has posted online mocking Democratic leaders.
“What we’ve seen is negotiation through deepfake videos, the House canceling votes and, of course, President Trump spending yesterday on the golf course. That’s not responsible behavior,” he said.
Hakeem Jeffries slams Trump’s AI videos as ‘unhinged’
Hakeem Jeffries condemned President Donald Trump’s use of AI-generated images and videos depicting him and other Democrats, calling them “outrageous,” “unhinged,” and “unreasonable.”
“The American people deserve better than lies, than attacks, than deepfake videos,” Jeffries said, warning that the use of fabricated media further undermines trust in governance and political debate.
John Thune says shutdown may last ‘as long as democrats want’
In a separate appearance on Fox News’ 'Sunday Morning Futures,' Senate Majority Leader John Thune cast doubt on an imminent resolution to the ongoing funding impasse.
“I think it’s just as long as the Democrats want it to go on,” Thune said, adding that “reasonable Democrats” were in talks with Republicans to support a GOP-led bill to reopen the government.
“There are reasonable Democrats out there who are having conversations with Republicans, and I’m hopeful those are going to yield some results,” he added.
The federal government is set to enter its sixth day of shutdown on Monday after lawmakers failed to pass a funding measure. Both chambers remain at an impasse. Last week, the Senate rejected competing short-term funding bills from both parties, neither of which cleared the 60-vote threshold.
Before recessing in September, House Republicans passed a temporary stopgap measure to fund the government through November 21, with only one Democrat—Rep Jared Golden of Maine—joining them in support.
That bill has since stalled in the Senate, where Democrats largely voted against it. Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson canceled votes scheduled for this week, declaring a district work period instead, a move Hakeem Jeffries cited as further evidence of GOP inaction.
