House Democrats are once again proving that unity is optional when it’s inconvenient. According to Fox News Digital, they’re preparing to rebel against Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s spending deal with President Donald Trump’s White House—an internal mutiny that threatens to stretch the current partial government shutdown at least into Tuesday. Because of course, when there’s a chance to govern responsibly, someone has to trip over their own party line.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries reportedly told Speaker Mike Johnson that Republicans’ plan to fast-track the bill on Monday night would fail. Translation: Republicans will now have to muscle the legislation through multiple procedural hurdles with their razor-thin majority before it can even reach a final vote, likely no sooner than Tuesday. Nothing says “effective opposition” like blocking your own leader’s deal.
The federal government has been in a partial shutdown since early Saturday morning, after Congress failed to agree on a yearly budget by the Jan. 30 deadline. Some agencies are already funded, but spending for the Departments of War, Transportation, Health and Human Services, and Homeland Security is now in limbo. That’s not exactly a small list—unless you think national security and healthcare are minor details.
House Democrats, sources say, don’t feel bound by the agreement Schumer cut with President Trump’s White House. They’re also irritated that Schumer expected them to simply accept it. One House Republican summed it up neatly: “Democrat division creates another government shutdown.” Hard to argue with that math.
Republicans aren’t without challenges either. Some GOP members object to negotiating with Democrats over limiting President Trump’s immigration crackdown, while others are pressing for their own priorities. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida said she won’t support the bill unless it includes a measure requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration—an unrelated but widely supported GOP proposal. Apparently, integrity in elections is still controversial in some circles.
Speaker Johnson initially hoped to pass the bill under “suspension of the rules,” a fast-track method that raises the vote threshold to two-thirds. Now, the House Rules Committee will take up the legislation Monday afternoon, followed by a chamber-wide rule vote before any final passage. In other words, buckle up.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer wasn’t surprised by Jeffries’ move. He told Fox News Live that Schumer can’t be trusted to get his own members to do the right thing. The Senate deal itself bundled five spending bills already passed by the House but excluded a bipartisan DHS funding plan. Instead, it would fund DHS at current levels for two weeks while talks continue on a longer-term bill that would also rein in Immigration and Customs Enforcement, something Democrats demanded after two U.S. citizens were killed during anti-ICE demonstrations in Minneapolis.
Jeffries offered no commitment after the Senate passed the deal, saying the House Democratic Caucus would “evaluate” it and decide how to proceed. That’s Washington-speak for “we might sink it.”
Still, despite the chaos and the Democrats’ internal tug-of-war, one thing remains clear: Republicans are pushing forward, and President Trump’s White House is holding the line on priorities like border security and responsible spending. The process may be messy, but the goal is solid—keeping the country running and protecting American interests. And in the end, that’s a fight worth winning.
