Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) engaged in a public exchange of strong remarks on Sunday regarding negotiations on government spending.

With several federal agencies facing the possibility of a shutdown on Friday, the urgency to reach a deal this week is paramount.

In a “dear colleague” letter issued on Sunday evening, Schumer mentioned the ongoing “intense discussions” with Johnson’s team on spending matters.

While expressing his hope to have the bill text for a spending deal by the weekend, Schumer noted that House Republicans require additional time to navigate their internal considerations.

“Unfortunately, extreme House Republicans have shown they’re more capable of causing chaos than passing legislation,” Schumer wrote, calling for Johnson to “buck the extremists in his caucus and do the right thing.”

Johnson shot back in a statement blasting the “counterproductive rhetoric” in Schumer’s letter, saying the House has “worked nonstop, and is continuing to work in good faith,” Axios reported.

The speaker criticized Schumer for omitting the “new Democrat demands” that were not incorporated into the Senate’s spending bills.

“Senate Democrats are attempting at this late stage to spend on priorities that are farther left than what their chamber agreed upon,” Johnson said.

The disagreement leaves lawmakers without an agreement as they enter a week with a limited timeframe to pass potentially four appropriations bills.

The initial set of agencies, covered by four less contentious spending bills, is scheduled to face a shutdown on March 1, while the remainder is at risk on March 8.

Written by B.C. Begley