According to several official sources, U.S. President Donald Trump met with the top four congressional leaders at the White House on Monday to discuss the impending government shutdown, but the meeting ends with no deal. His final meeting with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries comes as government funding is set to expire tomorrow night, with both sides remaining entrenched in their positions.
Earlier this week, the president canceled a meeting with the Democratic leaders Jeffries and Schumer. He called the Democratic demands ridiculous and unserious, and said that they scrapped the meeting, which made it unproductive.
Previously, CNN reported that the decision came after President Trump spoke with Thune and Johnson on a call, during which both Republicans argued against making an agreement with the Democrats. However, the Monday meeting will house all top leaders.
In a Saturday statement, Schumer and Jeffries reiterated that Democratic leaders are willing to meet at any time, anywhere, and with anyone to negotiate a bipartisan spending deal that meets the needs of the American people.
On Friday, Schumer called Thune to push for a meeting, an advisor for the minority leader said. It will be the first time Trump and Schumer have spoken since the beginning of the president’s second term, and the first time Jeffries has met with him in person.
Enhanced Affordable Care Act Premium Subsidies
Although the GOPs control the White House and the Capitol Hill, they require at least seven Democrats in the Senate to join them to approve a spending package under the chamber’s rules.
Schumer is insisting that any funding bill include an extension of the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium subsidies, along with other provisions, to secure his party’s support. Republican leaders are seeking a seven-week extension of funding, along with additional funds for security for the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
If the deadlock is not resolved, the looming government shutdown could be unlike any other recent memory. Although no two government shutdowns are identical, the White House Office of Management and Budget, along with the Trump administration, has indicated a willingness to adopt a different approach. They are encouraging companies to reduce their workforce in programs that lack funding and do not align with the Trump administration’s priorities.
The government shutdowns are no strangers to Trump, and the most recent one occurred during his initial term, starting in late December 2018 and lasting more than a month, around 35 days, the longest on record.