Democrats in Congress strongly oppose Republican-led efforts to mitigate the worst effects of the government shutdown.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told the Daily Caller News Foundation on Monday that he opposes standalone legislation to pay troops and federal employees who report to work during funding cuts. Democratic lawmakers are showing little signs of ending the 20-day shutdown even as millions of federal employees face mounting financial pressure over the prospect of missing their next paycheck. (RELATED: Hakeem Jeffries Rumbles, refuses to say whether government shutdown will delay Thanksgiving)
🚨Watch: Jeffries says @Andy Napier He does not support legislation the Senate is expected to vote on this week to pay federal employees and service members, calling it a “political stunt.” pic.twitter.com/y0D9eQZhuE
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) October 20, 2025
“It seems like a political ploy that gives Donald Trump discretion over which employees should be compensated and which employees should not be compensated,” Jeffries said during a news conference at the US Capitol. “All employees must be compensated, and this will happen when we reopen the government.”
Although President Donald Trump tapped unused Pentagon funds to avoid a pay cut for U.S. service members, they are still at risk of losing their paychecks during the next pay period. Federal employees are set to lose their first full paycheck on Friday due to funding cuts.
The Senate bill would pay for a group of federal employees who report to work during the shutdown.
Jeffries cited health care when discussing why he could not support legislation to pay military personnel and some federal workers. Democrats have consistently called on Republicans to tie more than $1 trillion in unrelated health care appropriations to a government funding measure in exchange for their support.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune declared Democrats’ demands unacceptable, but offered them a vote on extending coronavirus-era Obamacare subsidies after the government reopens.
However, Jeffries and Schumer rejected that initiative to end the shutdown.
Jeffries notably led nearly all House Democrats in voting against the Clean Finance measure to avoid a shutdown in September. The Minority Leader has since encouraged his Democratic counterparts in the Senate to keep the government closed until their demands are met as the shutdown continues into its fourth week.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday that he would reconvene his chamber to consider the funding measure if it passes the Senate. Republicans will need seven Democrats to cross party lines in order to overcome the legislative filibuster, which the Senate passed by 60 votes.
The speaker also criticized Democrats for standing against efforts to fund the government despite the current funding cut that holds the title as the longest complete shutdown in U.S. history. The 35-day shutdown during President Donald Trump’s first term did not affect every government agency because Congress passed five of the 12 appropriations bills.
“It is the most costly, most selfish and dangerous political game in the history of the US Congress,” Johnson said. He said Monday.
Andy Shee Napier contributed to this report.
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