Democrats in Congress have strongly opposed Republican-led efforts to ease the worst effects of the government shutdown.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told the Daily Caller News Foundation on Monday that he opposes separate legislation to pay military and federal employees who report to work during the shutdown. Democratic lawmakers show no signs of ending the 20-day shutdown even as millions of federal workers face growing financial stress over the prospect of missing their next paycheck. (RELATED: Hakeem Jeffries Rumbles refuses to say whether government shutdown will extend past Thanksgiving)
🚨WATCH: Jeffries talks @AndiNapier that he does NOT support the federal employee and military pay bill that the Senate is expected to vote on this week, calling it a “political ploy.” pic.twitter.com/y0D9eQZhuE
— Daily Call (@DailyCaller) October 20, 2025
“This looks more like a political ploy to give Donald Trump the power to decide which employees should be compensated and which should not,” Jeffries said during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol. “All employees should be compensated, and that will happen when we reopen the government.”
Although President Donald Trump knocked Unused Pentagon funds to prevent U.S. military personnel from delaying pay, they remain at risk of missing pay during the next pay period. Federal employees planned miss his first full paycheck on Friday due to funding cuts.
The Senate bill would pay wages to a group of federal employees who report to work during the shutdown.
Jeffries cited health care in arguing that he could not support legislation to pay military members and some federal employees. Democrats have consistently demanded that Republicans include more than $1 trillion in unrelated health care spending in the government funding program in exchange for their support.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Democrats' demands make no sense but suggested they vote to extend Obamacare COVID-era subsidies once they reopen the government.
Jeffries and Schumer, however, abandoned this initiative aimed at ending the quarantine.
Jeffries especially led nearly all House Democrats voted against the clean funding measure to prevent a shutdown in September. The minority leader has since called on his fellow Senate Democrats to keep the government shut down until their demands are met as the shutdown drags on into its fourth week.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday he would call his chamber into session to consider the funding measure if it passes the Senate. Republicans will need seven Democrats to cross party lines to overcome the Senate's 60-vote legislative filibuster.
The speaker also criticized Democrats for resisting efforts to fund the government despite the current funding gap, which ranks as the longest total economic shutdown in U.S. history. The 35-day shutdown during President Donald Trump's first term did not impact every government agency, as Congress passed five of 12 appropriations bills.
“This is the most expensive, most selfish and most dangerous political stunt in the history of the US Congress,” Johnson. said Monday.
Andie Shae Napier contributed to this report.
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