Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) just delivered a political smackdown that Hakeem Jeffries in the halls of Capitol Hill, and it was pretty epic. Footage of the exchange, which has been circulating on social media, shows Jeffries melting down in real time as Lawler methodically exposed the hypocrisy behind the Democrats’ government shutdown stunt.
It started with the usual performative nonsense from Jeffries.
“Did you get permission from your boss?” Jeffries asked, apparently convinced that every Republican takes marching orders from President Donald Trump. Lawler cut through the nonsense immediately. “Why don’t we sign on right now?” he said, offering a solution instead of the predictable Democratic lecture.
Jeffries insisted: “Did your boss, Donald Trump—” only for Lawler to shut him down: “He’s not my boss.” “Yes, he is,” Jeffries shot back. “No, he’s not,” Lawler replied, before pivoting to the real question: “And by the way, why did you vote to shut the government down?”
From there, the exchange devolved into a masterclass in Jeffries’ insecurities. Lawler calmly reminded him that he had long lectured about the importance of keeping the government open. Jeffries had no good response to that, so he tried to deflect by asking a different question. Lawler, unruffled, delivered blow after blow. “You could easily sign onto this,” he said, referencing a clean one-year extension of Obamacare. “The only embarrassment here is you.” Jeffries whined like a child without a comeback. “You’re chasing clout. You’re an embarrassment.”
Related: Sen. Kennedy Predicts How the Schumer Shutdown Will End
Lawler wasn’t done. “You have four Democrats on here. Why won’t you sign onto it? It’s a clean extension for one year,” he said. Jeffries pivoted to his talking points about a “one big ugly bill.” Lawler countered, “I voted for a tax cut bill that gave the largest tax cut to Americans in history, including, by the way, the average New Yorker getting a $4,000 tax cut. Are you against that?”
When Jeffries tried to pivot to Medicaid cuts, Lawler fact-checked him with precision. “No, we rooted out waste, fraud, and abuse. Tom DiNapoli, the Democratic Controller of New York, pointed out that $1.2 billion were wasted on fraud and non-New York residents getting paid.” Jeffries responded with his signature defense mechanism: whining about being talked over.
The meltdown continued with Jeffries accusing Lawler of being a “lackey for Donald Trump” and fretting about billionaire donors: that same tired talking point Democrats have been using for decades.
Lawler didn’t take the bait and stayed on message: “You could actually pass a subsidy right now to ensure that people don’t have healthcare premiums going up. Why won’t you support this one-year bill?”
Even local politics couldn’t escape Jeffries’ tantrum. Lawler asked about his stance on Zohran Mamdani, the socialist candidate for New York City mayor, and Jeffries resorted to the classic dodge: “I don’t answer to you… You don’t even answer to yourself.”
Lawler’s deadpan reply? “Aw. Why is that? Because you don’t want to answer the question?”
🚨 BREAKING: A HEATED EXCHANGE between Hakeem Jeffries and Rep. Mike Lawler (R) during the shutdown - Hakeem is FURIOUS.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 8, 2025
"Why don't you just keep your mouth SHUT."
Hakeem got up close and started pointing his finger at Lawler's chest: "You're NOT gonna talk to me and talk over… pic.twitter.com/CXAVMHe8a3
Through the entire exchange, Jeffries flailed, repeated himself endlessly, and tried to turn every fact into a personal attack. Lawler calmly exposed the absurdity of shutting down the government for political theater while offering concrete solutions. The contrast was stark: one lawmaker focused on results, the other on optics.
By the end, Jeffries looked like a caricature of a frustrated opposition leader, and Lawler looked like someone who actually understands how government works. In other words, Jeffries was the one who embarrassed himself again while Lawler scored a win for common sense, constituents, and anyone still wondering why Democrats can’t govern without a tantrum.
Democrats have nobody to blame for the Schumer Shutdown but themselves. Chuck Schumer led the charge to close the government for illegals’ healthcare, and the fallout is on them. Help us reveal the truth—use promo code POTUS47 for 74% off your VIP membership.
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