House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries declared on "Fly Out Day" that Democrats will not concede in the ongoing government funding fight against Republican leaders and President Donald Trump, with only four days remaining until the funding deadline. Jeffries stated during an interview that Democrats are not responsible for the Republican efforts to "destroy the American way of life," asserting that no one is accepting the GOP's narrative. The comments were made in the context of an impending government shutdown. Jeffries' remarks, captured in an interview from the Punchbowl News Townhouse, indicated no signs of nervousness regarding the confrontation with the Trump administration and GOP congressional leaders. He directly addressed the Republican majority's claims of a mandate, stating, "They spent the whole year telling America they have a massive mandate to do whatever the hell they want, and now they want to act like Democrats are somehow responsible for their continued efforts to destroy the American way of life? No one’s buying that." This funding dispute occurs as both parties appear entrenched in their positions with the deadline rapidly approaching. Separately, in Michigan, state Senator Mallory McMorrow reportedly informed the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) of her intentions to run for an open U.S. Senate seat in February, but the committee allegedly asked her to delay her announcement, according to three sources familiar with the conversations, as reported by NBC News. Previous reports indicated that House Democrats, including Jeffries, had previously criticized President Trump's policies on immigration and farm bailouts, while also expressing concerns over security spending. These criticisms emerged during discussions on "Fly Out Day" and ahead of potential government shutdown talks.
