President Donald Trump is set to meet with the top four congressional leaders at the White House on Monday afternoon in a last attempt to avoid a government shutdown, according to House Speaker Mike Johnson. The move marks a reversal for Trump, who only days ago canceled a similar meeting with Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer, accusing them of making “unserious and ridiculous demands” in exchange for supporting a Republican spending plan. Read More
Johnson said he spoke extensively with Trump on Saturday and confirmed that Schumer and Jeffries agreed to attend the meeting, alongside Senate Majority Leader John Thune. While Johnson framed Trump as eager to strike a deal, Schumer cautioned that progress would only be possible if the president avoided turning the meeting into a partisan confrontation.
Still, skepticism remains high. CBS News reported that Trump himself expressed doubt about any breakthrough, telling correspondent Robert Costa that a shutdown “looks likely.” According to White House sources, Trump has suggested he could even welcome a shutdown as an opportunity to use executive authority to eliminate what he calls “waste, fraud, and abuse” in government.
If no deal is reached, large portions of the federal government could shut down by Wednesday morning, with agencies already instructed to prepare furloughs and layoffs. Both parties continue to trade blame as Tuesday’s funding deadline approaches.
House Republicans narrowly passed a short-term spending bill earlier this month to keep the government open for seven weeks, but the measure needs Democratic support in the Senate. Democrats have insisted that an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies must be part of the agreement, warning that millions of Americans could face higher healthcare costs if the credits expire.
Jeffries stressed that Democrats are ready to negotiate “anytime, anywhere” to keep the government running, while accusing Republicans of manufacturing a crisis that would hurt working families. Trump and Republican leaders counter that healthcare subsidies can be debated later in the year and that Democrats are holding the government “hostage” with unnecessary demands.
Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland criticized Republicans for giving Trump “a blank check” to pursue his political priorities rather than the nation’s needs, while Thune and Johnson argued that the continuing resolution is a straightforward, nonpartisan measure to buy time.
With only hours left before the deadline, both sides appear entrenched. Whether Monday’s Oval Office meeting produces compromise or collapses into partisan finger-pointing will determine if the U.S. government avoids another shutdown.
