Trump holding high-stakes meeting with top Democrats as government shutdown looms

[ad_1] High congressional leaders are on the White Home Monday afternoon assembly with President Donald Trump in a last-ditch effort to avert a authorities shutdown -- however as a stalemate persists simply in the future from the deadline, a shutdown appears practically inevitable barring an sudden breakthrough.

Hours earlier than the assembly, White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned that there is "nothing to barter" with bipartisan congressional management Monday -- because the administration continues to push lawmakers to move a short-term funding invoice often known as a clear clear persevering with decision.

"Our message and what we would like out of that is quite simple: The president needs to maintain the federal government open. He needs to maintain the federal government funded. There may be zero good motive for Democrats to vote in opposition to this clear persevering with decision,” Leavitt informed reporters on the White Home Monday morning. “The president is giving Democrats one final likelihood to be affordable immediately.”

President Donald Trump waits to greet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the White Home, Sept. 29, 2025, in Washington.

Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Shutterstock

Lawmakers from each side of the aisle are digging in forward of the Tuesday night time deadline – with Democrats sustaining their posture that they won't vote to maintain the federal government open with out lofty well being care concessions. These calls for embody restoring $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts handed into regulation this summer season on high of a everlasting extension of the Obamacare subsidies set to run out on the finish of the yr, saving medical health insurance for 3.8 million individuals at a price of $350 billion over the subsequent decade, based on the Congressional Finances Workplace.

"Home Democrats, Senate Democrats are in lockstep," Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries informed reporters Monday morning on the Capitol. "We're headed into the assembly to have a superb religion negotiation about touchdown the aircraft in a means that avoids a authorities shutdown however doesn't proceed the Republican assault on the well being care of the American individuals."

Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries speaks to reporters throughout a press convention on the U.S. Capitol Constructing, September 29, 2025 in Washington.

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Photographs

On NBC's "Meet the Press," Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer mentioned he hopes the assembly is concentrated on "severe negotiation."

"We'd like a severe negotiation. Now, if the president at this assembly goes to rant, and simply yell at Democrats, and discuss all his alleged grievances, and say this, that, and the different factor, we cannot get something executed. However my hope is it's going to be a severe negotiation," Schumer mentioned on Sunday.

Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer talks to reporters as he departs for a gathering with President Donald Trump and the highest 4 congressional leaders to debate the looming authorities funding disaster, on the Capitol in Washington, Sept. 29, 2025.

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

The assembly marks the primary bicameral, bipartisan congressional management face-to-face assembly of Trump’s second time period -- and comes after a previously-scheduled assembly final week was nixed by the president after he mentioned he reviewed the Democratic proposal and judged {that a} assembly wouldn't be productive.

"Republicans management the Home and the Senate, and as a Republican president, if the federal government shuts down, it is as a result of Republicans wish to shut the federal government down," Jeffries mentioned.

A gathering was agreed to after Schumer implored Senate Majority Chief John Thune for assist getting by means of to Trump, based on a Schumer aide -- although Jeffries appears unmoved by the prospect of drawn-out negotiations.

Final week, the White Home issued steering to federal companies that they need to think about executing a discount in pressure for federal workers whose jobs aren't deemed important to authorities operations -- a transfer supposed to extend strain on Democrats who've a acknowledged objective to guard a federal workforce that’s already been slashed by the Trump administration.

Whereas Home Republicans handed a stop-gap measure to maintain the federal government open by means of Nov. 21, the measure has stalled within the Senate, the place at the very least seven Democrats should vote for any measure that staves off a shutdown.

Republicans crafted a "clear" seven-week stop-gap invoice as a way to create extra time for congressional appropriators to work by means of common order: 12 separate full-year funding payments. Congress has not handed all 12 appropriations payments by means of common order since 1997, and the duty has solely been accomplished 4 occasions since 1977 when present funds guidelines took impact.

Speaker Mike Johnson maintained over the weekend that passing the short-term persevering with decision is "shopping for a bit of time" for the common appropriations course of.

<img alt="PHOTO: Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson speaks to the media following a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on a stopgap spending bill, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Sept. 19, 2025. " class="hsDdd NDJZt sJeUN IJwXl vBqtr KrDt itslR SjwtZ hakZw HlUVI " data-testid="prism-image" draggable="false" loading="lazy" src="https://i.abcnewsfe.com/a/2db195b3-fea6-4fd9-bbf8-79a218bdb645/mike-johnson-rt-jt-250919_1758297623538_hpMain.jpg"/> Speaker of the Home of Representatives Mike Johnson speaks to the media following a vote within the U.S. Home of Representatives on a stopgap spending invoice to avert a partial authorities shutdown that may in any other case start October 1, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Sept. 19, 2025.

Kent Nishimura/Reuters

"The Obamacare subsidies is a coverage debate that needs to be decided by the tip of the yr, Dec. 31 -- not proper now, whereas we're merely making an attempt to maintain the federal government open so we are able to have all these debates," Johnson mentioned on CNN on Sunday.

The federal authorities has shut down because of a lapse in appropriations 10 occasions since 1980, with the longest shutdown, 35 days, occurring in the course of the first Trump administration.