Jeffries and Lawler conflict as shutdown tensions explode on Capitol Hill

The Nationwide Hockey League performed seven video games in its younger 2025-2026 season by the top of the day final Wednesday. The contests featured a grand complete of two fights. 

The federal government shutdown had run for eight days by the top of the day on that Wednesday. And the now prolonged shutdown sparked two extraordinary verbal brawls within the halls of Congress between lawmakers.

NHL referees Gord Dwyer and Mitch Dunning labored the Washington Capitals/Boston Bruins tilt Wednesday night time in DC. Maybe the Home and Senate Sergeants at Arms may have summoned Dwyer and Dunning as much as Capitol Hill to dole out just a few ten-minute misconducts beforehand.

“You are embarrassing your self proper now!” hollered Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., at Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y.

JOHNSON RAISES STAKES ON SCHUMER AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN BARRELS INTO WEEK 3

“The one embarrassment right here is you!” thundered Lawler at Jeffries.

Tempers exploded as Lawler lay in wait exterior the Home Radio/TV Gallery Studio for a shutdown smackdown after Jeffries concluded his now-daily press convention. 

“You are not going to speak to me and speak over me when you do not wish to hear what I will say!” yelled an animated Jeffries at Lawler, jabbing his index finger towards his colleagues chest however by no means poking him. 

“Oh, I am listening,” stated Lawler.

“So simply preserve your mouth shut!” shouted the often cool Jeffries. 

There have been a number of rounds of vocal fisticuffs between Members and Congressional leaders.

Sens. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., summoned the press to the hallway exterior the workplace of Home Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to complain in regards to the shutdown and criticize the Speaker for not swearing-in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., greater than two weeks after her election. Johnson then confronted the Arizona senators. And Lawler was close by, serving as “fourth man in.”

“That is absurd,” seethed an exasperated Johnson.

SCREAMING MATCH ERUPTS BETWEEN HAKEEM JEFFRIES, MIKE LAWLER AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CHAOS CONTINUES

“That is the longest the Home has gone…” interrupted Gallego.

“Would you like me to reply the query?” shot again Johnson.

“You’re not really answering the query,” countered Gallego.

The a number of rounds of brawls within the halls between lawmakers had been practically unprecedented in Congress. The shutdown smackdowns featured arguments about well being care. Lawler waved round laws centered on the Democrats’ push through the shutdown: a bundle to increase Obamacare subsidies.

“Should you imagine in it a lot!” chided Lawler, with a rhetorical uppercut. 

“Bro, do you perceive math?” counterpunched Jeffries.

Tensions are spiking on the Capitol. Yours really requested Johnson about Lawler confronting Jeffries and his choice to step out of the Speaker’s Workplace to interact Kelly and Gallego. I famous to the Speaker that if the Home was in session, there could also be fistfights within the hallways.

“Are you involved and is it incumbent upon you because the Speaker to attempt to decrease this temperature?” I requested.

Johnson added that the contretemps “considerations me.” He added that he needed to “restore civility to the establishment.”

“Let’s have coverage disputes. However not make it private. This will get private. Feelings are excessive. Persons are upset. I am upset. I am a really affected person man. However I’m very indignant proper now as a result of that is harmful stuff. And so is it higher for them to be bodily separated proper now? It in all probability is.” stated Johnson. 

Lawmakers aren’t the one ones raging. Hundreds of federal staff are fuming on the shutdown. The administration is now firing federal staff. 

“Proper now, many households are paying the value for political gridlock that they did not trigger,” stated American Federation of Authorities Staff President Everett Kelley.

TENSE CONFRONTATION BETWEEN HOUSE SPEAKER, SENATE DEMS CAUGHT ON CAMERA OVER SHUTDOWN

Rep. Sarah Elfreth, D-Md., represents 44,000 federal staff in her district close to Washington, DC. She notes that Maryland has misplaced 15,000 federal jobs since President Trump took workplace in January. 

“I imagine that (the firings) should not solely unethical and immoral, however unlawful for him to be RIF-ing individuals throughout a shutdown. There is no new authority granted to the President or OMB throughout a shutdown,” stated Elfreth. “I do not imagine in negotiating by menace. It additionally exhibits that I believe they’ve the weaker hand and that they are shedding the PR battle nationally to resort to threats.” 

Whereas the shutdown is the primary occasion, the undercard is a combat between Democrats and Johnson over Grijalva to succeed her late father, Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz. The elder Grijalva died in March after a battle with most cancers.

“I am unable to rent employees. We do not have an workplace,” stated Grijalva “So it’s extremely a lot second-class citizen feeling for me.”

Democrats have tried on a number of events to compel the Home to swear-in Grijalva throughout transient, professional forma periods the place the physique gavels in and gavels out after just some seconds. As soon as in workplace, Grijalva would offer the essential 218th signature to go over the pinnacle of the Speaker and drive the Home to vote on a measure to launch the Epstein information.

“Get your individuals in and cease overlaying up for the pedophiles,” shouted Gallego at Johnson throughout their confrontation within the hall.

“That’s ridiculous,” responded Johnson. 

“There’s no one overlaying up for pedophiles,” chirped Lawler from the again of the scrum. “So knock it the hell off.”

Johnson denies the Grijalva holdup is in regards to the Epstein information. 

“We’ll schedule it, I suppose, as quickly as she desires. It has nothing to do with it,” stated Johnson. 

However Grijalva wrote to the Speaker final week demanding the Home swear her in instantly. And the Home nonetheless hasn’t sworn her in.

Circumstances had been totally different this spring when the Home GOP majority dwindled to a web seat of 1. Republicans wanted as many votes as they may muster to move parliamentary frameworks for the Massive, Stunning Invoice. Johnson swore-in Reps. Randy Tremendous, R-Fla., and Jimmy Patronis, R-Fla., a day after they gained particular elections.

“These guys labored laborious they usually earned the place,” stated Johnson when he met with them again in April. “These gents are going to come back in and assist us ship the America First agenda.” 

Johnson famous that swearing-in Tremendous and Patronis made “the margin somewhat extra comfy” for Home Republicans.

So Johnson is maintaining the Home out of session for now. Home Democrats are returning to Capitol Hill this week to make some extent of Johnson maintaining the Home out of session through the shutdown. Regardless, pouring everybody again into the Capitol would probably set off the Congressional equal of a line brawl. 

There are unwritten guidelines about hockey fights. You don’t sucker punch somebody. You don’t knee your opponent. You usually sq. off in a combat with somebody in your similar weight class. In hockey, either side heat up on their very own aspect of the crimson line earlier than the sport and between intervals. Violation of that code may set off an enormous brawl.

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Lawmakers from either side seemingly left their very own aspect of the rink to choose fights with the opposite aspect. Gallego and Kelly exterior the Speaker’s Workplace. Lawler exterior Jeffries’ information convention.

However lawmakers are apparently ignoring these unwritten guidelines. The federal government shutdown quickly enters its third week and everyone seems to be dropping their gloves.