It finally happened — someone in the media actually asked a Democrat a tough question on live television. And not just any Democrat. NBC’s Kristen Welker decided to do the unthinkable: she challenged House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Meet the Press about who’s really to blame for the latest government shutdown.
And the result? Let’s just say Jeffries’ talking points melted faster than Biden’s approval ratings.
Here’s the setup. The government shut down early Wednesday after Senate Democrats — yes, Democrats — voted against a Republican-led bill to keep the lights on. That bill, by the way, was what they call a clean continuing resolution — no policy riders, no tricks, just a short-term fix to keep the government funded. Normally, Democrats love to posture about “clean” bills. But not this time.
Because this time, the White House wanted to hold out for something else: Obamacare tax credits. You know, those same credits that don’t even expire until the end of 2025.
So when Jeffries went on TV to spin this as “a Republican shutdown,” Welker — to her credit — didn’t just nod along and smile. She stopped him cold.
“But let me ask you,” she said, “you say this is a Republican shutdown — but it’s Democratic senators who are withholding their votes on a clean resolution. That’s something, quite frankly, you and other Democrats have advocated for in the past.”
Then she did what almost no host in mainstream media ever does: she played a montage of Democrats — including Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Jeffries himself — saying government shutdowns are irresponsible and that a “clean” resolution is the right way to go.
Cue the awkward silence.
Jeffries tried to recover, but it was rough. He launched into a rambling defense about wanting a “bipartisan negotiation” and how the GOP hadn’t lowered costs since taking the House. And then, as always, came the magic words: “Trump-failed policies.”
Because apparently, three years after Trump left office, he’s still to blame for high grocery prices, expensive healthcare, and now… the Democrats’ own refusal to vote to reopen the government.
You know it’s apocalypse-level bad when NBC, yes, that NBC, roasts Hakeem Jeffries live on air for his shutdown blame game.
Welker nails it: “It’s Democratic Senators withholding votes on a clean resolution, which, frankly, you Dems have begged for before.” Hypocrisy? Chef’s… pic.twitter.com/hDdXgRjQ1v
— Dr Vincent Sativa 🇺🇸 (@The_Weed_Shop) October 5, 2025
Jeffries went on to warn that if these Affordable Care Act credits expire, Americans’ premiums will “skyrocket.” Never mind that the credits have nothing to do with keeping federal workers paid this week. Or that Democrats could have easily passed a temporary bill, kept the government open, and then debated health care later. Logic, apparently, is not part of the Democratic toolkit these days.
Meanwhile, the Senate vote tells the real story. The GOP-led spending bill got 55 votes — that’s a majority — but fell short of the 60 needed to avoid a filibuster. Three Democrats broke ranks and voted with Republicans, clearly tired of the same political games. The rest, following Schumer’s lead, decided it was better to shut the government down than hand Republicans a win.
And it’s not like this is new. Back in March, when Schumer joined Republicans to avoid another shutdown, he got slammed by the progressive wing of his party. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez publicly called his decision “a tremendous mistake” — and rumors have been swirling ever since that she’s eyeing his Senate seat in 2028.
So let’s put the pieces together. Progressives are running the show, Schumer is terrified of AOC, Jeffries is on national TV pretending this is all the GOP’s fault, and the media — except for one fleeting moment — is pretending not to notice.
But here’s the irony: the only person telling Democrats to stop playing politics was… an NBC host. Kristen Welker did in 30 seconds what the rest of the press corps hasn’t done in years — she exposed the double standard right there on camera.
And Jeffries’ answer? A masterclass in deflection. Blame Trump. Blame Republicans. Blame the “cost of living.” Anything but admit that Democrats shut down the government to score points before an election year.
Maybe next Sunday, someone will ask the follow-up question America actually wants answered:
If this is all the GOP’s fault, why are Democrats the ones refusing to vote to open the doors back up?
