"With Jeffries (D-N.Y.) facing pressure from his grassroots to go full #Resistance and President Trump keeping Johnson (R.La.) on a tight leash, neither side has much incentive to de-escalate. The acrimonious dynamic has already resulted in the longest government shutdown in U.S. history and an unprecedented national wave of partisan mid-cycle redistricting initiatives. State of play: The National Republican Congressional Committee began referring to Jeffries as the "so-called 'leader'" in an email last spring, seizing on stories about Democrats questioning his leadership."
"The latest: Democrats saw the opportunity to meet fire with fire when the New York Times reported in October that Trump has privately joked about his power over Johnson by quipping, "I'm the speaker and the president." The move came amid a lengthy government shutdown in which Johnson and Jeffries both refused to budge from their positions on extending Affordable Care Act tax credits."
Jeffries faces pressure from his grassroots to adopt a hardline #Resistance stance while President Trump exerts strong influence over House Republican leadership, constraining Johnson. The resulting stalemate produced the longest government shutdown in U.S. history and stimulated a wave of partisan mid-cycle redistricting initiatives. Republicans have sought to undermine Jeffries by labeling him the "so-called 'leader'" amid internal Democratic doubts. Democrats seized on reports of Trump joking about his control to brand Johnson the "deputy speaker," and the DCCC has consistently used that nickname to underscore Johnson's alignment with Trump. Bipartisan cooperation that existed in 2024 has eroded under renewed partisan pressures.
Read at Axios
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