WASHINGTON — Democratic and Republican leaders emerged from a high-stakes meeting at the White House seemingly far from a bipartisan agreement on how to fund the government, heightening the likelihood of a shutdown less than 36 hours before the deadline.
President Donald Trump met with top congressional leaders in both parties on Monday afternoon to discuss a path forward before federal funding is set to lapse for a slew of government agencies and programs. The deadline is midnight on Wednesday.
Democrat leaders Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., exited the meeting telling reporters “significant and meaningful differences remain” between the two parties when it comes to health care policy as well as limiting the president’s ability to withhold federal funding that is approved by Congress.
Moments later, Republicans addressed reporters criticizing those demands — predicting a shutdown is imminent because of what they perceive as Democrats’ unwillingness to negotiate.
“Let’s (fix American health care policies) in the context of an open government that’s providing essential services to the American people,” Vice President JD Vance said on Monday. “That’s all that we’re proposing to do, and the fact that they refuse to do that shows how unreasonable their position is. I think we’re headed to a shutdown because the Democrats won’t do the right thing. I hope they change their mind, but we’re going to see.”
But tensions only seemed to grow more intense as the day dragged on.
Schumer spoke with reporters as he returned to the Senate that evening, claiming that Trump himself “admitted” that a shutdown would be his fault because he is the president.
“I said, ‘You know, the president gets the blame for this stuff,’” Schumer said. “He admitted that.”
Democrats maintain demands for health care extensions — claiming Trump agrees
Democrats left the White House holding steadfast to their demands to include additional language in the stopgap spending bill reversing major spending cuts passed in Trump’s massive tax package earlier this summer.
“We are ready, we are willing, we are able to find a bipartisan path forward and reaching spending agreement that actually keeps the government open, but meets the needs of the emergency in terms of their health, their safety and their economic welfare,” Jeffries told reporters before the meeting on Monday. “What we will not do is support a partisan Republican spending bill that continues to gut the health care of the American people.”
Jeffries’ posture is in “lockstep” with Schumer and other Democratic lawmakers, he said, predicting the caucus will stick together in opposing the bill.
Monday’s meeting marked the first time in Trump’s second term that he met with the top Democratic leaders, and it’s the first time ever that Trump spoke face-to-face with Jeffries. The pair’s dynamic has been frosty in online exchanges as Jeffries has repeatedly criticized Trump and his leadership, while the president has largely ignored the top Democrat altogether.
The meeting comes after House Republicans passed their version of a stopgap bill to extend current funding levels until mid-November, but that proposal has remained frozen in the Senate where it requires at least seven Democrats to support — something that has yet to materialize. Instead, Democrats are asking for more in return: to reverse the health care cuts approved in Trump’s tax package and to permanently extend Obamacare tax credits.
Republican leaders have balked at that demand, arguing such negotiations should be saved for a separate spending bill. But Democrats have expressed little faith in their GOP counterparts, claiming the credits will never be reauthorized if it isn’t done now.
“No one can trust their word on health care. Are you kidding me?” Jeffries said on Monday when asked if he would accept a handshake agreement on the tax credit subsidies. “These people have been trying to repeal and displace people off the Affordable Care Act since 2010. That’s 15 years.”
While Democratic leaders laid out their arguments for extended subsidies, Schumer told reporters the president seemed to agree with their demands. The disconnect, Schumer claimed, was with Thune and Johnson.
“When we made these arguments, it was clear there was a possible division between the President and the two Republican leaders,” Schumer said.
Thune rejected that characterization, dismissing it as a distraction by Democrats ahead of deadline.
“I think Schumer is desperate to change the subject,” Thune said. “We’re all on the same page.”
House GOP leaders tell lawmakers to prepare for short shutdown
Hours before the meeting with Trump, Johnson convened with House Republicans in a virtual meeting on Monday morning to discuss strategy. The House does not have scheduled votes for this week, a decision made by GOP leaders to jam the Senate with their continuing resolution, or CR, but it’s not clear if those plans will change in the event of a shutdown.
Johnson advised lawmakers to prepare for a short shutdown this week, likely lasting only a few days, according to a lawmaker on the call who was granted anonymity to discuss an internal meeting.
However, Johnson reiterated plans the House will not return for votes this week, but told lawmakers they will likely reconvene as planned next Monday. In the meantime, the speaker advised lawmakers not to come to Capitol Hill during the shutdown week at all to keep pressure on Senate Democrats.
Instead, lawmakers should continue political messaging to place the blame of a shutdown on Democrats’ demands, the lawmaker said.
Republicans so far losing the blame game
But that messaging battle could be easier said than done. Recent polling from Morning Consult shows that more Americans would blame Republicans (45%) than Democrats (33%) for a shutdown.
Going deeper, those who identify as Republican are more likely to say their own party is at fault, with 33% saying the GOP caused the shutdown compared to just 22% of Democratic voters saying the same about their party.
When it comes to independents, 41% said Republicans are to blame while 24% said Democrats are at fault.
House Democrats return to Washington as top leaders issue guidance for shutdown measures
Meanwhile, House Democrats returned to Washington for a caucuswide meeting at 6 p.m. on Monday to discuss shutdown contingencies — sending a message to Republicans they are willing to stay in town as long as it takes to reach an agreement.
Shortly before the meeting, the House Administration Committee distributed information packets to House offices detailing what to expect during a shutdown, including what offices would be open, which employees are deemed essential, and how salaries would be paid.
When it comes to Hill staffers, each office can operate differently as it designates which employees are essential and which are not. Those who are considered non-essential will be furloughed, meaning they will not be permitted to come to work until the shutdown is over but they will receive backpay.
However, when it comes to other federal agencies and programs, it’s a little different — and the White House is warning a government shutdown could lead to mass layoffs rather than the typical furloughs. Democrats have brushed off that threat as an intimidation tactic, but the weight of possible firings could loom large for vulnerable Democrats seeking reelection next year.