House Democrats rallied in the Capitol on Monday evening in an 11th-hour strategy session with two distinct goals: To unify the party amid the partisan budget standoff and to compel GOP leaders back to the negotiating table on legislation to prevent a government shutdown.

Huddled behind closed doors in the basement of the Capitol, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and his leadership team used the rare recess gathering to mobilize the party’s opposition to the Republicans’ spending plan, which excludes health care provisions the Democrats are demanding as a condition of their support. 

“What this is all about is what the Republicans have done to health care in this nation,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.), the senior Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee. “They have created a crisis, and an immediate crisis in some respects. And it is going to result in higher costs for the American people at a time when the cost of living and affordability preys on the minds of every single family.”

The effort appears destined to fail — at least in its objective to yank Republicans into new talks before a shutdown.

House Republican leaders have canceled the previously scheduled votes for this week, and there are virtually no GOP lawmakers in Washington as a result. Indeed, the dozens of House Democrats who returned to Capitol Hill this week had the House side of the campus almost exclusively to themselves. And a meeting with President Trump and congressional leaders at the White House resulted in plenty of finger pointing, but no breakthroughs to suggest a deal would emerge in time to prevent a shutdown.

Still, Democrats are hoping that their return to Washington — combined with the Republicans’ absence — will create an impression in the minds of voters that Democrats are fighting for a deal while GOP Republicans are AWOL. 

“The House isn’t here,” said Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.). “The deadline is Tuesday [at] midnight, and they’re not going to be here to do anything.”

“We’re here, and they’re not. I think it’s pretty obvious,” echoed Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.). 

At the center of the Democrats’ demands are ObamaCare tax credits scheduled to expire at the end of the year, which Democrats — joined by some Republicans — are hoping to extend to prevent a spike in health care costs for millions of patients on Jan. 1. 

GOP leaders in both chambers have signaled an openness to addressing the ObamaCare subsidies. But they don’t want to do it as a part of the current spending debate, arguing there’s time to do it later in the year. 

“This is purely and simply hostage-taking,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said after Monday’s White House meeting.  

Democrats disagree, noting that insurance rate notices go out in October, while ObamaCare’s open enrollment window begins Nov. 1. They’re worried that patients will get spooked by the new rates — which are calculated using current law, not what Congress might do in the future — and opt out of coverage altogether. 

“We’re standing up to try to protect America’s health care system that’s being dismantled,” said Costa. “Notices start going out this week.”

The late impasse has heightened the odds that large parts of the government will shut down at the end of the day on Tuesday, which is sure to escalate the finger pointing over which party is to blame. 

Republicans say Democrats will bear the responsibility, because the GOP bill is merely an extension of current spending levels, which passed through the Senate with bipartisan support in March. 

“There’s nothing partisan in here,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said after the White House gathering. “No policy riders. None of our big policy preferences.”

House Democrats are quick to note that they opposed the March bill, citing levels of spending they said would cut programs that benefit vulnerable populations. 

“The March spending agreement was a partisan bill that hurt veterans, hurt children, hurt families, hurt seniors, hurt the health care of the American people, which is why Democrats in the House strongly oppose it,” Jeffries said Monday night.

If there are any cracks in the Democratic opposition to the GOP plan, they weren’t visible Monday in the Capitol, where Democrats of all stripes said they’re sticking with party leaders in demanding health care protections — even if the result is a shutdown.  

“Our constituents,” said Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), “don’t want us to do harm to them.”