Trump cancels meeting with Democrats as shutdown looms
With a government funding deadline looming, the White House canceled a planned meeting with Democratic leaders as lawmakers trade demands over subsidies, public broadcasting funding and spending priorities.
President Donald Trump canceled a planned Oval Office meeting with Democratic leaders as the threat of a government shutdown intensified. A funding deadline looms at the end of the week, leaving lawmakers divided over whether to pass a short-term funding patch or a broader spending package. White House officials provided no scheduling update before Trump’s decision, and the president later signaled the session would not be productive in a post on social media.
Democrats have pressed for a clean funding extension to keep the government open and to renew subsidies that reduce the cost of Obamacare. They also want to restore money for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and to avoid any clawback of funds already approved by Congress. The House has passed an interim spending measure at current levels, but the Senate faces a high hurdle, needing 60 votes to overcome a filibuster. Without broader bipartisan support, a shutdown remains possible.
House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader John Thune had signaled they would participate in any Oval Office talks, but Johnson had previously indicated the House would not reconvene unless necessary. In the hours after Trump canceled, lawmakers pursued a path that could break the stalemate through a bipartisan proposal, but the absence of a scheduled meeting left negotiators without a clear vehicle to advance a compromise.
Democrats and Republicans have traded lines over what would count as a win. Democrats warn that any funding package should protect health care subsidies and avoid reductions to public broadcasting, while Republicans insist on policy concessions tied to spending levels. The standoff comes as the clock ticks toward October 1, the start of the new fiscal year, at which point a shutdown would begin if no funding measure passes the Senate.
White House aides have signaled that the administration will weigh options in the coming days, and a key question remains whether the parties can salvage a deal without a face-to-face meeting. The planned gathering with Trump, Schumer and Jeffries had been viewed as a potential turning point, but its cancellation shifts the focus to the existing House and Senate bills and to the prospect of a temporary extension that could buy time while talks continue.
With the House currently not in session through early October after approving a GOP-backed interim plan, the path to a lasting agreement hinges on renewed engagement from both parties. Analysts say any deal would need broad bipartisan support in both chambers, given the Senate’s 60-vote threshold and the current political dynamics in Washington.
The mounting tension over how to keep the government open has added another layer to a year already dominated by partisan messaging. Officials note that neither side has publicly shown a willingness to concede without what they deem essential policy assurances, a calculus that could determine whether the government operates smoothly in the near term or risks a shutdown as fiscal deadlines approach.
As Washington watches the clock, lawmakers are weighing the political and practical costs of delay. The next steps hinge on whether negotiators can reconcile demands on health care subsidies, public broadcasting funding and other spending priorities before the calendar turns to the new fiscal year. In the meantime, the question remains whether today’s canceled meeting signals a strategic pause or a deeper impasse that will shape the budget battle in the days ahead.