Jeffries says he's 'hopeful' a government shutdown can be avoided

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Sunday he is "hopeful" a government shutdown can be avoided as Congress lurches toward its Tuesday deadline to reach a spending agreement.Jeffries' comments come after President Donald Trump canceled a meeting last week with Jeffries and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer to hammer out a deal before saying Saturday he'd meet with the Democrats and Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday."Our view going into the meeting is that we want to find bipartisan common ground, to find a spending agreement that avoids a government shutdown and actually meets the needs of the American people in terms of their health, their safety, and their economic well-being," Jeffries told "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz.One of the main points of contention between Democrats and Republicans has been the impending expiration of some of the Affordable Care Act's tax credits, which Democrats are fighting to extend.House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries appears on ABC News' "This Week" on Sept.28, 2025.ABC News"We know they don't expire till the end of the year, so why not approve this and just get seven more weeks to negotiate?" Raddatz asked."Well, because notices are going to go out in a matter of days and it's going to be a shock to the system of everyday Americans who are already struggling to get by," Jeffries said.

"And the challenge that we have in this particular instance is that several times over the last few months, Republicans in the House have had the opportunity to vote with Democrats to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits.And they've repeatedly and consistently declined to do it."Responding to Jeffries later on "This Week," House Majority Leader Steve Scalise advocated for passing a short-term funding bill to prevent a shutdown and continuing negotiations into the coming months."Let's let those talks continue till November with this short-term government funding bill that's in the Sena...