"People are f**king pissed": Democrats' shutdown civil war spills out in private call
"People are f**king pissed": Democrats' shutdown civil war spills out in private call
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"People are f**king pissed": Democrats' shutdown civil war spills out in private call

Andrew Solender 🕒︎ 2025-11-11

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People are f**king pissed: Democrats' shutdown civil war spills out in private call

Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) said the public is incensed at what they see as Democrats caving on the shutdown fight, telling her colleagues, "People are f**king pissed."Nearly "everyone [was] strongly against" the deal, said one House Democrat who was on the call but spoke on the condition of anonymity to share details of a private discussion. Between the lines: It's not just a fight between the House and Senate, with a growing number of House Democrats urging their colleagues to stop training their fire on fellow party members. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) instructed members to keep the focus on health care and not on "a few individuals in the Senate," according to three lawmakers who were on the call.Rep. Susie Lee (D-Nev.), the leadership representative for members in battleground districts, similarly told her colleagues to focus their shutdown-related attacks on Republicans, not Democrats. State of play: House Democrats and liberal grassroots groups erupted into rage Sunday after a group of eight Senate Democrats voted to advance a bill to reopen the government. The deal the Democratic centrists struck with Republicans includes the promise of a Senate vote next month on renewing expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits.But the bill would need 60 votes to pass, and the deal doesn't guarantee a House vote, making it unlikely Democrats will actually succeed in securing an extension. Zoom in: Roughly half of those who spoke on Monday's call either directly criticized Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) or did so implicitly by agreeing with previous speakers who tore into him, sources said. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the former chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, argued that either the Senate leader "can't control his caucus" or he "gave his blessing" to the deal.A Schumer spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Yes, but: Despite the widespread anger towards the deal among progressive and moderate House Democrats, some of the party's most centrist members are expressing openness to voting for it. Just as the caucus call was getting started, Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), a retiring centrist who has openly opposed his party's shutdown strategy, signaled he is supportive of the Senate deal."Congressman Golden’s position on using a government shutdown as a legislative strategy has been clear and has not changed," a spokesperson told Axios, while stressing his support for extending ACA tax credits.Lee said on the call that she, personally, is undecided on the bill even as Jeffries has said he opposes it and vowed to fight it. What's next: Jeffries vowed to fight the deal in the House and floated the possibility of a discharge petition to force a vote on extending ACA tax credits, sources said. Several members, including Jayapal and Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), praised Jeffries' handling of the shutdown, according to a person on the call.Several hours after the call, House Democratic leadership sent out an email to members' offices instructing them to "VOTE NO" on the shutdown deal. Go deeper: Scoop: Schumer privately fought to extend government shutdown Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting on the caucus call and a whip notice sent out by Democratic leadership.

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