House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday that Democrats are willing to trigger a federal government shutdown in pursuit of health care benefits for illegal immigrants.
With government funding set to expire at midnight Tuesday, President Trump has called a high-stakes meeting for Monday with Mr. Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer to negotiate a deal that would avert the shutdown.
“Chuck Schumer wants to reinstate free healthcare for illegal aliens, paid for by American taxpayers,” Mr. Johnson said during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “We’re not doing that. We can’t do that.” He added, “That’s just one of the crazy things he’s requested.”
Republicans are advocating for a continuing resolution — a temporary funding measure — to keep the government running while lawmakers work through their disagreements over spending priorities.
Democrats, meanwhile, are pushing to reverse Medicaid cuts enacted under the GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill, extend pandemic-era subsidies for Obamacare premiums and impose limits on Mr. Trump’s authority to freeze congressionally approved funding.
These demands are part of their conditions for supporting a stopgap bill to fund the government into the new fiscal year, beginning Oct. 1.
SEE ALSO: What’s the beef over Obamacare subsidies threatening to shut down the government?
Republicans have accused Democrats of holding the government hostage, citing what they describe as a $1.5 trillion “ransom” for health care benefits for undocumented immigrants and other “fraudulent” programs.
“It’s wrong,” Mr. Johnson said.
Mr. Jeffries countered Friday on CNN, arguing that Democrats are working to repair a health care system that Republicans have undermined.
“They dropped this reckless, partisan bill that continues to gut the health care of the American people, and it went down in flames,” Mr. Jeffries said.
Mr. Johnson rejected that characterization on Sunday.
“That statement by my friend Hakeem is absolutely absurd,” the House speaker said. “There is nothing partisan about this continuing resolution, nothing.”
Tensions escalated further last week when Mr. Trump abruptly canceled a scheduled meeting with Democratic leaders.
The White House Office of Management and Budget issued a memo instructing federal agencies to prepare for potential mass layoffs in the event that Congress fails to pass a funding bill.
The memo raises the stakes for Democrats, warning that federal workers’ livelihoods could be jeopardized unless they agree to Republican-backed measures to keep the government open.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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