CNN anchor Dana Bash pushed back against House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries during a Tuesday interview after the Democratic leader attempted to blame Republicans for the ongoing federal government shutdown, which reached record length this week, as reported by The Independent Journal Review.

The exchange took place as Jeffries repeated Democratic talking points accusing President Donald Trump and Republicans of causing the impasse, despite the fact that Democrats have repeatedly voted against measures to reopen the government.

“Donald Trump and Republicans shut the government down and refused to reopen it,” Jeffries said on CNN.

Trump's Sovereign Wealth Fund: What Could It Mean For Your Money?

“Trump has spent the last 35 days [with] more time on the golf course, more time talking to Hamas, and more time talking to the Chinese Communist Party than to Democrats on Capitol Hill who represent half the country. And they continue to stubbornly refuse to address the healthcare crisis that they created, and the American people clearly have a problem with that. We want to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, and Republicans refuse to spend a dime on that, and this is the same group of people who could find $40 billion to bail out some right-wing wannabe dictator in Argentina. It’s too much for the American people. The Republicans have gone too far.”

Bash interjected, noting that Democrats had voted against reopening the government. “But, listen leader, you guys are voting no on opening the government. Not Republicans,” Bash said. “I know you’re asking for specific things, and it’s much more complicated than that.”

Jeffries countered that Republicans “caused” the shutdown because they control both Congress and the White House. However, official records show that Democrats voted down the continuing resolution (CR) that would have kept the government funded past October 1.

The funding bill failed after Democrats insisted on including a permanent extension of Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits first implemented under former President Joe Biden.

This Could Be the Most Important Video Gun Owners Watch All Year

Contrary to claims made by Jeffries and other Democrats, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan watchdog group, described the measure as “as clean of a C.R. as you could get,” according to The New York Times.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) previously estimated that permanently extending the ACA subsidies would add roughly $350 billion to the federal deficit between 2026 and 2035.

Only three members of the Senate — Democrats John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, and independent Sen. Angus King of Maine — voted to support the funding resolution and keep the government open.

Republicans, including President Trump and congressional leaders, have repeatedly urged Democrats to end the shutdown, citing the impact on thousands of federal employees — including air traffic controllers — who have been working without pay.

Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma said Tuesday that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer privately encouraged his caucus to continue blocking the funding measure until after Election Day, believing the shutdown would politically benefit Democrats.

The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Objectivist. Contact us for guidelines on submitting your own commentary.