Trump Cancels Meeting With Schumer, Jeffries as Shutdown Deadline Nears
President Donald J. Trump has canceled a planned sit-down with Democratic leaders as the deadline to keep the federal government funded rapidly approaches — saying there is no point in negotiating with lawmakers pushing “radical Left policies that nobody voted for.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., were scheduled to meet with Trump on Thursday. But the President pulled the plug, blasting the pair for making “unserious and ridiculous demands,” according to Fox News.
Lawmakers left Washington for Rosh Hashanah recess. The Senate won’t reconvene until September 29, while the House isn’t expected back until after the September 30 deadline has already passed.
In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump explained his decision:
“I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive,” Trump wrote.
The announcement came shortly after Schumer and Jeffries sent Trump a letter accusing Republicans of steering the country toward a shutdown with what they derided as a “dirty” GOP stopgap bill. The Democrats claimed the measure would threaten Obamacare subsidies, damage hospitals, and “extend the Republican assault on healthcare.”
Trump pushed back, saying the Democrat-backed proposal would gut reforms he championed and eliminate the law’s $50 billion rural hospital fund.
“We must keep the Government open, and legislate like true Patriots rather than hold American Citizens hostage, knowing that they want our now thriving Country closed,” Trump said.
“I’ll be happy to meet with them if they agree to the Principles in this Letter. Otherwise, it will just be another long and brutal slog through their radicalized quicksand.”
Democrats Lash Out
Democrats immediately blasted Trump’s move.
Jeffries called Trump’s statement “unhinged” and claimed it had “nothing to do with the spending bill that is before the Congress.” He also summoned House Democrats back to Washington for a caucus meeting Monday — a move designed to contrast with Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who urged the Senate to act while House Republicans returned to their districts.
Schumer echoed Jeffries, declaring that “Donald Trump will own the shutdown” if a deal isn’t reached.
“Trump is running away from the negotiating table before he even gets there,” Schumer said. “While Americans face rising costs and a Republican healthcare crisis, Trump would rather throw a tantrum than do his job.”
Last month, Schumer and Jeffries had requested a bipartisan meeting with Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., but nothing materialized. Thune has since said Democrats are free to engage, but insisted short-term spending bills aren’t the place for sweeping healthcare battles.
White House Points to Democrats
The standoff has revived memories of the 2018 government shutdown, when talks between Trump, Schumer, and then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi broke down over border wall funding, leading to the longest shutdown in U.S. history at 35 days.
This time, the White House says Democrats will be squarely to blame if the government closes.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt made the administration’s position clear Tuesday:
“We want a clean funding extension to keep the government open, that’s all we’re advocating for,” she said.