Schumer Won't Rule Out Backing a Clean Stopgap as Shutdown Deadline Looms

WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Sunday refused to rule out supporting a clean stopgap funding bill backed by President Trump to avert a partial federal government shutdown, signaling room for negotiation even as Democrats push for concessions on health care funding.

Schumer told CNN’s State of the Union that, while Democrats oppose a standalone, add-on-free spending bill, “we hope it doesn’t come to that.” He repeated that the American public backs Democrats, saying, “The American people are on our side by almost 2 to 1.” Asked directly if he would back a clean bill if time runs out, the New York Democrat did not provide a firm yes or no, replying instead, “We are hoping that [Trump] will negotiate with us, and so far he hasn’t.” He added, “The bottom line is we must get a better bill than what they had the last time.”

The remarks come as Congress faces a Sept. 30 deadline to fund the government. The GOP-led House approved a continuing resolution Friday to keep the lights on through Nov. 21 without Democratic votes, a move Democrats rejected. The Democratic-led Senate then took up both the GOP stopgap and a separate Democratic bill designed to avert a partial shutdown while advancing health-care funding demands; both proposals failed to advance, underscoring the political impasse.

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(AP) The stalemate unfolds amid intense pressure from within Schumer’s party, including progressive voices who chafed at his handling of a previous stopgap during a partial shutdown crisis in March. Schumer said the political landscape now differs, arguing that the current moment reflects a broad bipartisan demand for a better funding package that protects health care subsidies and related programs.

Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York have publicly pressed for concessions from Republicans on health-care funding, arguing for the continuation of beefed-up Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire at the end of 2025, as well as a reversal of Medicaid reforms in the broader policy package Republicans have called the Working Families Tax Cut Act—what Democrats describe as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in its earlier form. They have also sought a meeting with Trump to press these priorities, though no date has been scheduled. Trump, while urging Republicans to back a clean continuing resolution, acknowledged openness to meeting with the two top Democrats but said nothing about any imminent talks.

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“I’d love to meet with them, but I don’t think it’s going to have any impact,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Sunday. The administration has indicated a willingness to discuss but has not committed to a formal session.

As the deadline approaches, Schumer and Jeffries argue that any clean bill must come with guardrails or policy provisions that address health-care funding and research, including sustaining subsidies and reversing prior reforms that Democrats say would undermine access to care. They also have signaled a readiness to negotiate on other funding priorities as part of a broader deal.

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The financial dynamics in the Senate remain unchanged: Republicans hold a majority but need Democratic votes to clear legislation in a chamber where a 60-vote threshold is required to overcome a filibuster. The party’s leadership has been under pressure from its base to stand firm on concessions, even as the practical path to avoid a shutdown sometimes tempers the rhetoric of confrontation. The latest round of talks marks another high-stakes test of how far each side is willing to bend before the clock runs out.

As the clock ticks toward Oct. 1, the government’s funding question remains unresolved, with officials on both sides warning of the consequences of a lapse in funding. The next days are expected to shape whether lawmakers can strike a compromise that keeps the government open while delivering on Democrats’ demand to protect health-care subsidies and other public health priorities.