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Jeffries refuses deal on Obamacare subsidies to end shutdown

October 8, 2025 | | Print Article

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) rejected a deal that would have extended Obamacare subsidies, opening up an exit ramp for moderate Democrats to vote in favor of ending the “Schumer shutdown” that is now entering week two.

Presented with an opportunity to take the high road to end the impasse, the top House Democrat scoffed at what he dismissed as a “laughable proposition” for a one-year extension of the enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits, pandemic-era subsidies that are set to expire on January 1, a “non-starter” in the words of the thin-skinned New Yorker.

The proposal by Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA) has drawn bipartisan support, but could thwart the Democrats by removing their window dressing of a principled protest to preserve access to affordable health insurance, instead of being about pure spite and free healthcare for illegal aliens.

“What world are these MAGA extremists living in right now to think that Democrats are going to go along with a one-year extension from a group of people, meaning the Republicans, who just permanently extended massive tax breaks for their billionaire donors?” Jeffries told reporters on Tuesday, according to The Hill.

“It’s a laughable proposition. It makes no sense,” he said. “The Democratic position has been clear: Permanent extension, and let’s go from there.”

Jeffries’ nixing of the temporary fix only further shows that Democrat leadership is refusing to negotiate in good faith, having planned for months to screw tens of millions of Americans by shutting down the government to stick it to President Donald J. Trump.

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“Donald Trump gave us the middle finger, there is no alternative,” one unnamed Democrat senator told The Hill last month, admitting that the motivating factor behind the shutdown is their festering resentment over last year’s election thumping

Another anonymous Democrat senator predicted that a brief government shutdown will be a “win” for the party “even if it doesn’t result in any concrete policy concessions from Republicans,” describing the shutdown as a “message” to the president “that the White House can’t continue to steamroll Congress.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said that Jeffries and House Democrats are “living in a dream world” with their unreasonable demands of making the temporary subsidies permanent.

“Laying out demands like that, that are unrealistic and unserious, doesn’t help anybody. It doesn’t help their cause,” the top Senate Republican told the Washington Examiner.

Even though the House has already done its part by approving a “clean” continuing resolution to fund the government, putting the ball squarely in the court of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and his caucus, Jeffries has been a constant presence in the media, gaslighting the public about the real reasons for the grossly irresponsible move by Democrats.

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But even the normally friendly talking heads aren’t buying his B.S.

Jeffries has been in a particularly sour mood for the last week after Trump needled him and Schumer with a wicked AI video depicting the House minority leader with a Mexican mustache and a sombrero; his hurt feelings over the “racist” trolling is likely a contributing factor in his willingness to engage in hostage taking.

“Hakeem reminds me of Hamas,” one X user opined of the Democrat House leader. “Nothing is ever enough to satisfy them. Never negotiate with terrorists!”

Chris Donaldson
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