House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Republicans are in a “civil war” amid the party’s inability to reach an agreement on spending bills to fund government operations and prevent a government shutdown on October 1.
Jeffries (D-NY) blamed GOP infighting as the main reason large swaths of the government could shut down, noting that far-right Republicans have threatened to force House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), to abandon leadership if he does not comply. with his demands.
“Let’s be clear: House Republicans are in the middle of a civil war.” Jeffries told ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday.
“The Republican civil war in the House of Representatives is hurting hard-working American taxpayers and limiting our ability to solve problems on their behalf,” he added.
“It’s unfortunate, but as House Democrats, we’re going to continue to try to find common ground with the other side of the aisle to work with Senate Democrats, Senate Republicans and President Biden.”
Jeffries appears to address infighting sparked by the ultraconservative Freedom Caucus, whose members have vowed to oppose any stopgap measures to prevent a shutdown unless they see more spending cuts.
Republicans reportedly threatened to remove House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from leadership. AFP via Getty Images
The top Democrat said cracks in the Republican Party are also evident in McCarthy’s push to launch an impeachment inquiry into Biden, despite earlier claims that he would not do so without a full House vote.
Before the U-turn, some ultraconservative House members had threatened a shutdown if an impeachment inquiry was not launched.
“There are no facts on record to suggest that President Biden violated the law in any way. “This is an illegitimate impeachment investigation,” Jeffries told ABC. “It is a product of the Republican civil war in the House of Representatives.”
Appearing later on the show, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) denied the characterization and criticized Jeffries for using the term “civil war.”
“Using the word civil, the phrase civil war, over and over again in an interview — if I were a Republican, there would be outrage on the left,” he said.
Mace also insisted that Republicans had to fulfill promises made to the Freedom Caucus, which previously accepted his calls for more budget cuts in May to help raise the debt ceiling.
McCarthy told reporters Sunday that there has been progress in advancing the 12 appropriations bills to fund the government, and the House speaker is optimistic that a vote will pass before the looming deadline. .
The next fiscal year begins October 1, and without consensus, the government would shut down.
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