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GOP legislative leader Mike Johnson charged the opposing party of being “not serious” in negotiations to end the federal government shutdown, now on its fifth day with projections indicating it will continue into next week or longer.

Negotiations among the opposing political parties stalled over the weekend, and no legislative action expected to end the standoff. Survey data revealed just 28% of Democratic voters along with 23% of GOP supporters believe their party’s stance justifies a government shutdown.

During an interview with a national television show, Johnson stated the House fulfilled its duties through approving legislation to keep the government financed but now it was up to the Senate “to restart government operations so that everyone can do their work”. He accused Democrats of failing to engage “in a serious negotiation”.

“This strategy to get political cover because the Senate leader is afraid losing his next re-election bid for Senate reelection because he’s going to be challenged from a left-wing contender from New York, because that’s the new popular thing in politics,” he said, referring to the Bronx representative potentially challenging the incumbent senator for his seat next year.

But Johnson’s counterpart, Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, responded on the same show that a GOP legislator lied last week by asserting that Democrats weren’t truthful regarding their goals related to medical coverage for immigrants without documentation.

“GOP members are deceitful because they’re losing in public support,” Jeffries said, and added his party was “standing up for the healthcare of hard-working American taxpayers, for labor-class citizens, of middle-class Americans”.

Jeffries also responded to comments from the ex-president on a social platform in which he called Democrats the party as malicious and destructive alongside pictures of party figures, including left-leaning lawmakers, the Senate leader, the previous House speaker, and the ex-president and his wife.

When asked if he could still negotiate with the former president, Jeffries responded the president’s behavior “is shocking, it’s irrational, it’s unreasonable, and it speaks for itself. The American people deserve better than lies, than attacks, manipulated media and a leader devoting excessive time to golfing.”

Top political figures haven’t engaged in official discussions in nearly a week while both parties attempt to gain a political edge before resuming negotiations.

The minority leader mentioned following their last discussion earlier this week, “Republicans, including the former president, have gone radio silent and the Democratic party leadership “will continue to make clear, both the Senate leader and I, that we will sit down whenever and wherever, with all parties to resolve this matter with the earnestness it requires”.

The struggle for political advantage continued on Sunday as Johnson stated that the possibility of temporary federal employee furloughs, called furloughs, evolving into permanent dismissals “is a regrettable situation the administration wishes to avoid”.

A senior administration economic official ramped up pressure against Democrats, saying the administration will start mass layoffs among government employees if the president decides discussions with the opposition are “absolutely going nowhere”.

The adviser told a national news program that the president and budget director “are lining things up and getting ready to act if necessary, but hoping that they don’t”. But he predicted there’s a chance that Democrats could back down.

“I think that everybody is still hopeful that with a fresh start early this week, we can persuade Democrats to recognize that it’s logical to avoid layoffs like that,” the official commented.

But some fear that Democrats fell into a trap. The speaker stated Sunday that the president requested Democratic leaders to keep the government open.

“Under these circumstances, with Senate Democrats choosing to hand government control over to the White House, they have to make difficult choices,” he explained, pointing to the management official.

The budget director, the speaker stated, “must now examine all of the federal government, recognizing that funding sources are discontinued and decide what are essential programs, policies, and personnel. This isn’t a task he enjoys. But he’s being required to do it by the Senate leader.”

The spirit of mutual recrimination persisted as the Senate leader stating on television that Johnson avoids discussing the actual problem, the healthcare crisis facing the American people. Therefore he creates false narratives to distract the public.”

However, during a discussion scheduled for Monday, Johnson informed another news network he views the issue of expiring healthcare subsidies – that Democrats place central to their negotiating position – as one that can be addressed later.

“We have effectively a quarter-year for discussions with the administration and in the hall of Congress, that’s ample time,” Johnson remarked. “We require participants in good faith to come around the table and hold those talks. And we can’t do it during a government closure,” he continued.

A leading Senate Democrat appearing on a Sunday show was asked whether his party members in the Senate would stay united following three Democrats defected to support GOP measures. The senator said he was confident that all party members recognize that millions and millions of their constituents are about to be priced out to medical care”.

“We require a leader who behaves maturely, who can come to the table and negotiate an end to this manufactured healthcare emergency,” he stated. “Right now we don’t see that. We observe the ex-leader golfing frequently, we notice the House leader telling his House colleagues to skip legislative sessions, that there’s no work for the federal government to do.”