House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Thursday that Democrats will not help advance bipartisan spending bills on the floor, signaling that Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) will have to wrangle his restive conference to open debate on legislation to avert a government shutdown.

The vow from Jeffries comes as members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus are openly discussing opposing procedural votes on appropriations bills unless their demands for spending cuts are answered.

“Extreme MAGA Republicans temporarily hold the gavels; the extreme MAGA Republicans are responsible for passing the rule,” Jeffries told reporters when asked if Democrats are willing to support a GOP rule — a procedural measure to set up consideration of a bill — for a bipartisan, Senate-negotiated continuing resolution or appropriations bill.