Hakeem Jeffries Asked Point Blank If He Is Feeling Betrayed By Chuck Schumer As Shutdown Looms

3/14/2025

At a House Democratic press briefing on Friday, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) was asked if he was feeling betrayed by Senate Democrats.

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Transcript

00:00It sounds like this message was sent to the Senate, received, and then they decided yesterday,

00:07for whatever reason, maybe they didn't have the votes, Leader Schumer decided to walk

00:11away from that and go with the GOP plan.

00:14There are some colleagues of yours here in the House that feel betrayed.

00:19Is that what you're feeling right now?

00:21Vote hasn't happened.

00:23There are undecided and undeclared Democratic Senators who are evaluating what is the right

00:32thing to do for the American people.

00:35We've made that decision as House Democrats, and we're going to stick by that decision

00:40because we believe we are on the side of the American people.

00:43Mr. Luther, House Democrats...

00:44Go ahead, Brooke.

00:45Yeah, Leader Duffries, when it comes to FY26, looking to September, some Democrats have

00:50expressed concerns that seeing how the process had played out this week will set a tone

00:55for the upcoming fiscal year.

00:56Do you share those concerns, and what have you learned from this process for the next

01:00fiscal year?

01:01Our general view is that we do not want to shut down the government, but we are not afraid

01:10of a government funding showdown, and we will win that showdown because we stand on the

01:18side of the American people.

01:22What's the difference between a shutdown and a showdown to you?

01:25Next question.

01:26To follow up, though, you talk about the problem with saying, oh, this isn't just one individual,

01:31but still, doesn't this still send a message to Americans, the fact that it's the leader

01:35of the Senate Democrats who has already said he's making this decision, and you already

01:40have 66 of your House colleagues sending him a letter saying that they're not approving

01:45of this.

01:46As we travel the country, the American people are concerned about if their kids get sick,

01:53can they go see a doctor?

01:56And we have a problem with the fact that Republicans are cutting health care in this partisan spending

02:02bill.

02:03There are veterans in this country who want to know that after serving this country, sacrificing,

02:11putting their lives on the line, that their country will be there for them in the way

02:16that they were there for America.

02:21There are mothers and fathers who are struggling to make ends meet.

02:25They're working hard.

02:27They're playing by the rules.

02:31But they're not sure whether they can put food on the table day-to-day, week-to-week,

02:36month-to-month.

02:37And the Republicans in this bill, just like they're cutting veterans' benefits, are cutting

02:42nutritional assistance to children and families.

02:45That's what we have a problem with, that Republicans are hurting the American people.

02:53That's why House Democrats are strongly opposed to this bill.

02:57Leader Jeffries, Senator Chuck Schumer is from your state.

03:01He includes a different view of this than you.

03:04He is not saying, let's go back to the negotiating table.

03:06He's saying, let's take this vote.

03:08So have you lost confidence in him, the fact that you guys see this so differently?

Hakeem Jeffries Asked Point Blank If He Is Feeling Betrayed By Chuck Schumer As Shutdown Looms

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