Top congressional leaders from both parties dug in today on their opposing demands in the government shutdown, signaling that the standoff will likely drag on when the Senate returns this week.
The Senate so far has taken four failed votes to advance a bill that would keep the government open through November 21.
Here’s what congressional leaders are saying:
Senate Majority Leader John Thune: “We’re at a stalemate,” the South Dakota Republican conceded on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” calling Democrats’ desires to reverse Medicaid cuts implemented in President Donald Trump’s policy package a “nonstarter.”
“It’s not serious, it’s not reasonable, it’s not realistic,” he said.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told CBS News that while he has “encouraged” his members to talk to Republicans, he implied that those informal side conversations haven’t been fruitful and that it’s up to leadership to find a way out of the shutdown.
“The Republicans offered nothing,” the New York Democrat said, adding, “the only way this will ultimately be solved is if five people sit together in a room and solve it.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson blamed congressional Democrats, telling NBC, “The reason the government is closed is because Chuck Schumer and 43 of his Democrat colleagues in the Senate have decided now to vote multiple times to keep the government closed.”
“The House did our work,” the Louisiana Republican added.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told NBC that the last time he spoke with Republican leadership about government funding was in a White House meeting last week the day before the deadline, and “unfortunately, since that point in time, Republicans, including Donald Trump, have gone radio silent.”
Asked whether he still feels like it’s possible to negotiate with Trump, Jeffries called the president’s sharing of a racist, AI-generated video of him in a sombrero just hours after that critical meeting “outrageous” and “unhinged,” adding, “it speaks for itself.”
