WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will meet with the Democratic leaders in Congress this week ahead of a looming risk of a federal government shutdown.
Trump has agreed to meet with Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who are insisting on talks as the Democrats work to preserve health care programs as part of any deal to fund the government ahead of next week’s Oct. 1 deadline.
That’s according to two people familiar with the situation and granted anonymity because they are unauthorized to discuss it. The meeting is set for Thursday, one of the people said.
The chance for Trump and the congressional leaders to open talks comes at a critical period in the government funding cycle, with just days to go before federal money runs out with the end of the fiscal year on Tuesday, Sept. 30.
Trump had left the door open to a meeting even as he has also suggested there may be government closures.
“I’d love to meet with them, but I don’t think it’s going to have any impact,” Trump said in an exchange Saturday with reporters.
Congress has failed to pass legislation to keep the government running after having deadlocked following rounds of voting late last week.
While the House approved a Republican proposal to keep the federal government funded into November, the measure failed in the Senate, where the rules can require a higher 60-vote threshold that means support is needed from Republicans and Democrats. A Democratic proposal that would have boosted health care funds also failed.
Democrats are working to protect health care programs. The Democratic proposal would extend enhanced health insurance subsidies set to expire at the end of the year, plus reverse Medicaid cuts that were included in Republicans’ big tax break and spending cut bill enacted earlier this year.
Republicans have said the Democrats’ demands to reverse the Medicaid changes are a nonstarter, but they have also said there is time to address the health insurance subsidy issue in the months ahead.
The meeting was first reported by Punchbowl News.
