House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Monday that Democrats are involved in no talks with the Trump administration about ending the shutdown, rebuffing President Trump’s claims that bipartisan health care negotiations are underway.
“I do not know of any Democrats who have spoken to President Trump or members of his administration on this issue of reopening the government, enacting a bipartisan spending agreement, and addressing the Republican health care crisis,” Jeffries told reporters in the Capitol, where House GOP leaders canceled votes all week.
A short time earlier, Trump said the White House was in active talks with Democrats and suggested the discussions are bearing fruit.
“We have a negotiation going on right now with the Democrats that could lead to very good things,” Trump said from the Oval Office. “And I’m talking about good things with regard to health care.”
He did not say which Democrats he was referring to.
Senate Minority Leader Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) quickly issued a statement saying Senate Democrats are involved in no such talks but would be willing to take part in them.
“Trump’s claim isn’t true — but if he’s finally ready to work with Democrats, we’ll be at the table,” Schumer said.
Jeffries echoed that message, noting that Democrats have spent the last several weeks urging Republican leaders to sit down and negotiate a bipartisan spending bill that has enough support to pass through both chambers and become law.
“We’re open — we’ve been calling for bipartisan conversations to address the Republican health care crisis, which includes extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits so that tens of millions of Americans don’t experience dramatically increased premiums, co-pays and deductibles in an environment where the cost of living for everyday Americans is already too high,” Jeffries said.
“And so if President Trump is ready to have that conversation, and is ready to talk about health care, and is ready to talk about the Affordable Care Act tax credits — and extending them — we of course look forward to sitting down and having that engagement.”
GOP leaders have refused to have those conversations, arguing that, because their spending bill is merely a “clean” extension of current funding levels, no negotiations with Democrats are necessary.
“There’s nothing for us to negotiate,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said at the Capitol on Monday morning. “I don’t have anything to give.”
Democratic leaders have rejected that argument, saying that if Republicans want Democratic votes, they need to negotiate with Democrats on the substance of the bill.
“If Republicans want Democratic participation in the appropriations process, then that means we actually have to come together, sit down, negotiate a bipartisan bill, and do something that makes life better for the American people,” Jeffries said.