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Jeffries continued his critique, saying, “The problem with House Republicans is that they continue to function like a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Trump cartel, as opposed to what Democrats will do, which is serve as a check and balance on an out-of-control executive branch.”
Vitali then reminded Jeffries that Democrats had previously voted to keep Johnson in power when many Republicans opposed him. “I wonder if, given that you regret the way that the caucus acted when his job was in jeopardy?” she asked.
Jeffries paused before responding, “No, I think that every moment calls for the best possible decision.” He added, “At the time, Joe Biden was the president, Senate Democrats were in the majority. We had a responsibility to continue to move forward, particularly in that instance where we needed to fund our ally, Ukraine. That’s in a war defending not just their territorial integrity, but also principles of democracy and freedom and truth.”
It’s worth noting that Ukraine, often cited by Democrats as a U.S. ally, has a long record of corruption and is not formally designated as a mutual-defense ally of the United States.
The House voted Wednesday evening to reopen the government, passing a spending package that ended the 43-day shutdown. The vote tally was 222 to 209, with six Democrats breaking ranks to support the measure. President Donald Trump said he will sign the bill into law immediately.
The Democrats who bucked party leadership included Reps. Jared Golden (Maine), Adam Gray (California), Henry Cuellar (Texas), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Washington), Don Davis (North Carolina), and Tom Suozzi (New York), according to the Daily Caller.
Among Republicans, Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.) opposed the package on fiscal grounds. Rep. Greg Steube (Fla.) voted no over a provision that would allow senators to sue the federal government if their phone records were seized without prior notice. “I’m not gonna send [Republican South Carolina Sen.] Lindsey Graham half a million dollars,” Steube told reporters before casting his vote.
The 43-day shutdown caused major disruptions across the country. Hundreds of thousands of federal employees went without pay, low-income Americans experienced interruptions to food assistance programs, and travelers faced widespread delays.
The Senate had passed the funding bill Monday night, breaking weeks of gridlock after Democrats delayed action for nearly seven weeks. Notably, the agreement did not include Democrats’ top priority: a guaranteed extension of ACA premium tax credits, which Republicans deemed a nonstarter.
Both Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer opposed the final measure, though several Democrats crossed party lines to secure passage in both chambers.
