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GOP legislative leader Mike Johnson has accused Democrats of being “not serious” in negotiations to end the ongoing government closure, now on its fifth day and expected to last through next week or beyond.

Talks between the opposing political parties stalled over the weekend, and no legislative action expected to end the standoff. A recent poll indicated only 28% of Democrats along with 23% of GOP supporters consider their party’s positions worth shutting down the government.

During an interview with a national television show, the speaker claimed the House had done its work through approving legislation to keep the government financed and now the responsibility lies with the Senate “to turn the lights back on enabling federal employees to resume work”. He charged the opposition with not participating “in meaningful discussions”.

“This strategy for political protection since the Democratic leader is afraid losing his next re-election bid for Senate reelection facing a challenge by a progressive candidate from New York, because that’s the new popular thing out there,” he said, mentioning a New York congresswoman who may be looking to challenge the incumbent senator for the Senate position in the coming election.

However, the minority leader, Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, responded on the same show that a GOP legislator lied last week when he claimed that Democrats weren’t truthful about their intentions concerning healthcare benefits for immigrants without documentation.

“Republicans are lying because they’re losing in the court of public opinion,” Jeffries said, noting his party was “standing up for medical care for American workers, of working-class Americans, of middle-class Americans”.

The minority leader also addressed to comments by the former president on a social platform labeling the Democratic party as malicious and destructive accompanied by images of prominent Democrats, including left-leaning lawmakers, the Democratic Senate leader, the previous House speaker, and the former president and first lady.

Questioned if he could still negotiate with the ex-leader, Jeffries responded the ex-president’s conduct “is outrageous, it’s unhinged, it’s unreasonable, and it speaks for itself. Citizens deserve better than lies, than attacks, manipulated media and the president spending all of his time to golfing.”

Top political figures have not had formal talks in nearly a week while both parties attempt to secure political advantage before resuming negotiations.

Jeffries stated that since that meeting last Monday, “Republicans, along with the ex-president, have ceased communication while Democratic leaders “will continue to make clear, the Senate leader and myself, that we are ready to meet any time, any place, with anyone to resolve this matter with the seriousness it requires”.

The struggle for political advantage continued on Sunday as Johnson stated that the possibility of temporary federal employee furloughs, called furloughs, hardening into permanent job layoffs “is a regrettable situation that the president does not want”.

A top White House economic adviser increased pressure on Democrats, stating the White House may initiate widespread job cuts of federal workers should the leader determine discussions with the opposition have “completely stalled”.

The official stated on a national news program that the president and budget director “are preparing measures and getting ready to act if they have to, but hoping to avoid it”. But he predicted there’s a chance that Democrats might compromise.

“I think that everybody is still hopeful that when we get a new beginning early this week, we can persuade the Democrats to see that it’s logical to avoid layoffs of that nature,” the official commented.

But some fear Democrats have walked into a trap. The speaker stated Sunday that the president had asked the Democratic leadership to maintain government operations.

“In a situation like this, with Senate Democrats choosing to hand the keys to the kingdom over to the White House, they must take difficult choices,” he explained, pointing to the management official.

The management official, the speaker stated, “has to now look at all of the federal government, acknowledging the funding streams have been turned off and decide what are essential programs, policies, and staff. That’s not a job that he relishes. But he’s being required to do it by the Senate leader.”

The spirit of mutual recrimination continued with the Democratic leader stating on television Johnson “doesn’t want to discuss the real issue, the healthcare crisis affecting citizens. So he puts up all these fake lies to distract the public.”

However, during a discussion scheduled for Monday, Johnson told a different network he considers the problem of ending health subsidies – that Democrats place central in their bargaining stance – as one that can be addressed later.

“We have effectively three months to negotiate in the White House and in Congress, that’s like an eternity,” Johnson remarked. “We require participants in good faith to come around the table and have that discussion. This cannot happen when the government is shut down,” he added.

A leading Senate Democrat appearing on a Sunday show was asked if his party delegates in the Senate remain unified following three Democrats broke away to vote with Republicans. He responded expressing confidence that “all Democrats understand that millions and millions of their voters are about to be priced out of their healthcare”.

“We need a president who can act like an adult, who can come to the table and negotiate an end to their self-imposed healthcare crisis,” he stated. “Right now we don’t see that. We see the former president out on the golf course, we notice the House leader instructing representatives not to even come to session, that there’s no work for the federal government to do.”