House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., took a strong stance against House Republicans at the U.S. Capitol, accusing them of abandoning a bipartisan agreement to fund the government and prevent a partial shutdown. Jeffries argued that the GOP’s actions were detrimental to everyday Americans.
On Wednesday, House Republican leaders scrambled to salvage the situation after their initial bipartisan deal collapsed due to conservative opposition. The agreement, designed to keep the government open beyond Friday, unraveled amidst internal GOP disputes, prompting Jeffries to hold them accountable.
“House Republicans, House Democrats, Senate Republicans, and Senate Democrats reached a bipartisan agreement to fund the government, keep it open, and meet the needs of the American people,” Jeffries said. He highlighted that the deal included disaster aid for communities affected by extreme weather. “House Republicans have now unilaterally decided to break a bipartisan agreement that they made. House Republicans have been ordered to shut down the government and hurt everyday Americans all across this country… An agreement is an agreement. It was bipartisan, and there was nothing more to say.”
Jeffries also expressed his frustrations on X (formerly Twitter), where he wrote, “House Republicans have been ordered to shut down the government. And hurt working-class Americans they claim to support. You break the bipartisan agreement; you own the consequences that follow.”
As the political drama unfolded, the national debt continued to rise, surpassing $36 trillion, with the federal budget deficit for the past fiscal year reaching $1.83 trillion, the third largest in U.S. history. The proposed 1,547-page continuing resolution (CR) bill became a lightning rod for criticism, with prominent figures like Elon Musk and Donald Trump leading the charge.
Elon Musk, co-chair of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), took to social media to lambaste the bill, calling it bloated with unnecessary spending. “You seem to think the public is dumb. They are not,” Musk responded to Jeffries on X. In another post, he celebrated the collapse of the bill, stating, “The voice of the people was heard. This was a good day for America.”
Donald Trump also vehemently opposed the legislation. In a series of posts on Truth Social, the former president dismissed the bill as “ridiculous and extraordinarily expensive,” warning Republicans against passing it without addressing the debt ceiling. “Unless the Democrats terminate or substantially extend [the] Debt Ceiling now, I will fight ‘till the end. This is a nasty TRAP set in place by the Radical Left Democrats!” Trump declared. He urged Republican lawmakers to reject the measure and vowed political consequences for any who supported it. “Any Republican that would be so stupid as to do this should, and will be Primaried,” he warned.
The controversial CR bill was unveiled on Tuesday night after extensive negotiations between Democratic and Republican leaders. It aimed to avert a government shutdown by extending funding through March 14. However, its provisions—including health care measures, ethanol fuel regulations, $100 billion in disaster aid, and funding for the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore—provoked backlash from conservatives. Many Republican lawmakers demanded a “clean” funding extension without additional policy riders.
Despite its intention to prevent a shutdown, the bill has only deepened the political divide, leaving Congress and the nation grappling with unresolved fiscal challenges. The debate underscores the high stakes in Washington as leaders on both sides struggle to balance competing priorities.
Shut it down. This bill is outrageous.
The GOP finally grew some balls. It’s about time we had CLEAN bills without all the Pork Barrel crap to line someone’s pockets. I know it hurts Federal workers and our Military but the Dems are the ones causing this issue, Not the Republicans.
This bill gives millions of $$ to give DC a new stadium as well as give Congress a 40%pay raise, that’s $175K to $230K I work a Gov’t job but say SHUT DOWN THE GOVERMENT til you have a real CR bill without socialist aka democrat pork.
I think it’s great, it’s about time the dem’s got their feathers cut. Stop the spending.
Shut it down….Congress to get a huge pay increase? NO. Vote on the bills one by one. Actually earn your titles and do something. Too much pork and ridiculous spending. Stop it or the country will go bankrupt and THEN what will happen? WE will suffer tremendously. It will make the 1920’s look like a picnic.