WASHINGTON

US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Friday called on President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers to return to negotiations to end the ongoing government shutdown, now in its 17th day.

"We will continue to extend that offer to our Republican colleagues and to President Trump and members of his administration," Jeffries told reporters at the Capitol.

"Let's sit down in good faith, to reopen the government, to stand by our hard-working federal employees, to enact a spending bill that actually improves the quality of life of the American people, and to address the health care crisis that Republicans have created," he added.

The government shutdown began on Oct. 1 after a breakdown in negotiations over federal spending priorities. Thousands of federal workers have since been furloughed or working without pay, while government services – from the IRS answering taxpayers’ questions to visitor centers at National Parks – have been curtailed or suspended.

Jeffries said Republicans have yet to respond to Democratic outreach.

"I have not heard back from the (House) Speaker (Mike Johnson) yet," he said, adding that congressional Republicans "have gone radio silent since the Oval Office meeting that took place about three weeks ago, because they have no defensible position."

Republicans 'benefit the wealthy' while 'devastating' ordinary people nationwide: Jeffries

He went on to accuse Republican lawmakers of prioritizing the wealthy and powerful over working families.

"Their position is: we want to continue to benefit the wealthy, the well-off and the well connected, and promote the lifestyles of the rich and shameless,” said Jeffries.

Blasting Trump’s signature Big Beautiful Bill, as it was officially called, for failing to protect health care spending while passing tax cuts for the rich, he added: “That's the Republican position, That's what they did with their one big, ugly bill, the largest cut to Medicaid in American history, devastating people across the country, ripping food from the mouths of children, and they did all of that so they could reward their billionaire donors with massive permanent tax breaks.”

Democrats will "hold firm" on health care demands, he said.

Jeffries also criticized the Trump administration’s record on the federal workforce, saying that over 200,000 civil servants were pushed out before the shutdown even began.

"The Trump administration, this year before the shutdown, has forced out over 200,000 civil servants ... so, they've already been targeting viciously and maliciously federal civil servants, undermining the ability to provide services to taxpayers in an effective and an efficient way. And so cruelty has been the point for this administration," he said.

The government shutdown entered its 17th day on Friday with no end in sight, after the Senate failed Thursday for the 10th time to resolve a partisan impasse over federal spending.

The Senate is scheduled to reconvene at 3 pm (1900GMT) on Monday.