On Tuesday, Jeffries formally requested a one-on-one debate on the House floor with Johnson, known as a colloquy. When a Fox News reporter asked him about the challenge, Johnson said he hadn’t heard about it yet but he was “happy to debate him anytime.”
“Always, always,” Johnson added, when pressed.
In his challenge, Jeffries accused Republicans of pushing tax breaks for billionaires, specifically Elon Musk.
“Republican Members of Congress have repeatedly denied that painful cuts will be made. However, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has confirmed that based on the text of the budget proposal there is nowhere else for cuts of such magnitude to come from other than areas like the critical healthcare programs relied upon by everyday Americans to survive,” he said.
“The American people deserve to know the truth. I look forward to a one-on-one debate with you on the House Floor to fully and transparently explain and defend our differing budget values to the American people,” the House Democratic leader added.
He requested the debate take place on Wednesday.
Jeffries has vowed to do everything in his power to stop the House GOP budget from going through, though his ability to do as much is limited due to the Republicans holding a 220-213 advantage in the House. His fortunes deteriorated on Monday when Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ) was hospitalized, sending the Democrats’ tally down to 212 when the voting will take place.
HOUSE DEMOCRAT HOSPITALIZED AS JEFFRIES URGES ‘MAXIMUM ATTENDANCE’ AHEAD OF BUDGET VOTE
In a letter to his caucus on Monday, Jeffries decried the House Republican budget plan as “reckless” and “toxic,” urging “maximum attendance” for the Wednesday vote.
Though Jeffries claimed the bill was pushing “far-right extremism,” the bill is in trouble due to ire from Johnson’s right flank. Several members of the House Freedom Caucus have pledged to vote against the bill, while some other House Republicans believe it will fail.
