House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks during a press conference as the U.S. House of Representatives considers U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax-cut bill, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 19, 2025.
Nathan Howard | Reuters
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Thursday that Democrats will not be “intimidated” by the Trump administration’s warning to federal agencies to prepare for mass firings if the government shuts down next week.
“Republicans control the House, the Senate and the presidency,” Jeffries, D-New York, told reporters, just days before next week’s deadline for reaching a stopgap funding deal to avoid a federal shutdown.
“If the government shuts down, it’s because they [Republicans] want the government to shut down,” he said.
Jeffries’ comments come as Democrats continue to dig in on their health care demands, despite increasing pressure from Republicans and the Trump administration.
With the government poised to shut down unless lawmakers strike an 11th hour deal, Democrats insist that any stopgap legislation include an extension of the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium tax credits.
The Office of Management and Budget on Wednesday told agencies whose funding expires next week — and do not have additional funding sources and are not aligned with President Donald Trump’s priorities — to consider issuing reduction-in-force notices.
Jeffries said that the warning, which could impact the jobs of thousands of government employees, will not deter lawmakers in his party.
“We will not be intimidated by [OMB Director] Russ Vought, who’s completely and totally out of control,” Jeffries said.
“The Republican assault on health care in the United States of America has been unprecedented and unrelenting,” Jeffries said.
He also said that Democrats will “meet and sit down anytime, anyplace, with anyone, including the president.”
Trump earlier this week cancelled a scheduled meeting with Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer over government funding, saying that he decided “that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive.”
“The Republicans have determined that they want to shut down the government and hurt The American people,” Jeffries said.
“That’s an unacceptable and irresponsible position.”
