House Dems Anonymously Roast Hakeem Jeffries for Challenging Mike Johnson to Debate

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Some House Democrats are less than impressed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’s (D-NY) latest play in their party’s stand off with Republicans over the ongoing government shutdown.

In a letter addressed to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA), Jeffries challenged his GOP counterpart to a live, primetime debate on the House floor.

“I write to challenge you to a debate on the Floor of the House of Representatives any day this week in primetime, broadcast live to the American people,” wrote Jeffries in his letter. “Democrats have been clear and consistent in our position. The country needs immediate, bipartisan negotiations between the White House and congressional leadership in order to reach an enlightened spending agreement that reopens the government, improves the lives of hardworking American taxpayers and addresses the Republican healthcare crisis. Unfortunately, Donald Trump and your party decided to shut down the government because the GOP refuses to provide healthcare to everyday Americans.” 

“Given the urgency of the moment and the Republican refusal to negotiate a bipartisan agreement, a debate on the House Floor will provide the American people with the transparency they deserve. It will also give you an opportunity to explain your my way or the highway approach to shutting the government down, when Democratic votes are needed to resolve the impasse that exists,” he concluded.

Johnson quickly turned down Jeffries down during a Monday press conference, dismissing it as “nonsense” and characterizing Jeffries as “desperate.”

“I respect him, but we all know what he’s trying to do there,” added Johnson.

Some Democrats were similarly unmoved by Jeffries’s chess move.

According to Axios’s Andrew Solender and Katie Santaliz, “The debate proposal was described by even some House Democrats as a Hail Mary move aimed at seizing momentum in the shutdown stalemate.”

“One House Democrat, asked about Johnson’s refusal to debate Jeffries, told Axios: ‘Why would he?'” added Solender and Santaliz.

This isn’t the first time Jeffries has faced down doubters in his own caucus over his tactics.

Back in July, a number of House Democrats grumbled to Axios about a marathon speech he delivered in protest of the GOP’s Big Beautiful Bill.