Jeffries accepts shutdown debate invite from Johnson

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Wednesday accepted an invitation from House Speaker Mike Johnson to debate him amid the ongoing government shutdown.

“We’re going to try to get it scheduled, absolutely," he told reporters. "I look forward to that."

Johnson previously appeared on CSPAN and indicated a desire to debate with Jeffries on the network. The pair have been at loggerheads amid the shutdown, which began earlier this month.

Democrats have insisted that they are fighting to lower healthcare costs for Americans while Republicans have accused them of seeking to undo reforms to Medicaid that prevent illegal aliens from enrolling.

Much of the debate surrounds people who secured parole under the Biden administration. That distinction took center stage during the vice presidential debate in 2024, during which then-Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, contended that Biden was illegally abusing the parole system to facilitate illegal immigration under a procedural facade.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.