House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) held a news conference on the 14th day of a government shutdown. He responded to a question on whether Democrats' strategy was partially to blame for President Trump firing approximately 4,000 workers during the shutdown, to which Leader Jeffries responded that the Trump administration had been engaging in mass firings since the first day of its second term. Before and during the shutdown, Democrats insisted that Republicans negotiate with them on extending Affordable Care Act tax credits. Moreover, when asked by another reporter about voting rights in the 2026 election and if California's redistricted map would be enough to offset Republican states' actions in redistricting, Leader Jeffries replied, "California is just the first Democratic state to respond; it will not be the last."