Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries urged President Trump to meet and negotiate before the Sept. 30 deadline, warning Republicans would bear the blame for a government shutdown.
The top two Democrats in Congress have demanded a direct meeting with President Trump before the Sept. 30 government funding deadline, warning Republicans would be held responsible if a shutdown occurs.
In a joint letter Saturday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries pressed Trump to negotiate. “It is now your obligation to meet with us directly to reach an agreement to keep the government open and address the Republican health care crisis,” they wrote. “We do not understand why you prefer to shut down the government rather than protect the health care and quality of life of the American people.”
The appeal followed Senate Democrats’ decision to block the Republican funding plan, while Republicans rejected a Democratic counterproposal to extend funding through Oct. 31 with expanded health care subsidies.
Trump, who has not met Democratic leaders this year, signaled little urgency. “We’ll continue to talk to the Democrats, but I think you could very well end up with a closed country for a period of time,” he said Friday.
The standoff evokes the 2018 shutdown fight, when Trump declared, “I am proud to shut down the government for border security.” That shutdown lasted nearly a month.
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