President Donald Trump has blown up talks to keep away from a authorities shutdown—simply days earlier than funding runs out.
Congress faces a Sept. 30 deadline to maintain the lights on. With out a deal, federal companies will shut and 1000’s of employees shall be furloughed. Republicans have proposed a stopgap invoice to take care of funding by means of Nov. 21 whereas they work on full-year spending payments. Democrats, in the meantime, are utilizing the looming deadline to push for well being care protections—and so they have been imagined to press their case on to Trump this week.
Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer and Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries had requested a face-to-face assembly with the president to interrupt the stalemate. By Tuesday morning, Trump had agreed. However simply hours later, he modified his thoughts.
In a Tuesday morning Fact Social publish, Trump mentioned he was canceling the sit-down with the 2 New York Democrats, dismissing it as pointless.
Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries, left, and Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer, proven in April.
“After reviewing the details of the unserious and ridiculous demands being made by the Minority Radical Left Democrats in return for their Votes to keep our thriving Country open, I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive,” Trump wrote.
He accused Democrats of “threatening to shut down the Government of the United States” except Republicans agreed to extra well being care funding for teams he has repeatedly criticized. Trump has left the door open to talks “if they get serious about the future of our Nation.”
“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 added. “Otherwise, it will just be another long and brutal slog through their radicalized quicksand.”
Democrats wish to shield well being look after tens of millions. Their proposal would reverse Republican-backed Medicaid cuts enacted underneath the GOP’s tax and immigration invoice and prolong enhanced Inexpensive Care Act subsidies, that are set to run out on Dec. 30.
Republicans have flatly rejected rolling again the Medicaid cuts, calling it a nonstarter. And so they’re accusing Democrats of utilizing the specter of a shutdown to jam by means of their want record.
Schumer blasted Trump’s about-face, saying the president “ran away from the negotiating table before he even got there.”
Schumer’s workplace didn’t instantly reply to Every day Kos’ request for remark.
Jeffries, in the meantime, was even sharper on X, calling Republicans “extremists” prepared to shut the federal government relatively than “address the Republican health care crisis that is devastating America.”
He added, “Trump Always Chickens Out,” reviving a slogan Democrats have used since Trump’s erratic rollout of tariffs earlier this 12 months.
Different Democrats piled on. Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut put it bluntly: “This is delusional but you don’t have to read the whole thing,” he posted on social media. “Boils down to: [Trump is] shutting down the government because he thinks he’s a king.”
The partisan showdown has already deadlocked Congress as soon as. Final week, Senate Democrats blocked Republicans’ plan to increase present funding by means of Sept. 30 with out touching well being care. Republicans responded by blocking the Democrats’ counteroffer, which might have prolonged funding by means of solely Oct. 31 however rolled again GOP well being care cuts.
“The Republican bill is a clean, nonpartisan, short-term continuing resolution to fund the government to give us time to do the full appropriations process,” Senate Majority Chief John Thune mentioned final week. “And the Democrat bill is the exact opposite.”
With a few week left till the funding deadline, the 2 sides are locked in a staring contest. With out motion from Trump, Democrats say they gained’t provide the votes Republicans have to hit 60 within the Senate—which means the nation is barreling towards its first shutdown since 2019.
