Trump cancels meeting with Schumer, Jeffries over 'ridiculous demands' as funding deadline looms
President cancels White House session with Democratic leaders as the Sept. 30 funding deadline approaches, with lawmakers largely out for the Jewish New Year.
President Donald Trump canceled a planned meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, saying their demands were unserious and ridiculous as the deadline to fund the government approached. The meeting had been scheduled for Thursday in the White House Oval Office to discuss a path forward to avert a partial government shutdown before Sept. 30.
With lawmakers scattered for the Jewish New Year, the Senate is due to return Sept. 29 and the House remains out through the deadline. In a weekend letter, Schumer and Jeffries warned that a Trump-backed short-term funding extension would be a dirty, partisan stopgap that would preserve the GOP’s policy and spending riders and intensify what they called an ongoing Republican assault on healthcare, including looming gaps in Affordable Care Act premium subsidies. They argued that any such deal would leave healthcare institutions at risk of disruption while the government remains funded only temporarily.
Trump, for his part, framed the disagreement around the bigger policy package he promotes, saying that the Democratic plan would strip away nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts contained in his broader big bill and criticized the Democrats’ continuing resolution for ending a $50 billion rural hospital fund tied to that plan. He said the government should stay open and argued he would meet Democrats only if they agree to the principles he outlined, urging them to do their job and warning that without real compromise it would be another long, partisan slog.
Schumer and Jeffries had previously signaled they would press for a face-to-face session with Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson to hash out a deal, arguing that Democratic support would be necessary in the Senate to move any funding measure. Thune has publicly resisted loading major policy changes into a funding bill, saying the continuing resolution should focus on keeping the government funded rather than broad healthcare changes. This dynamic underscores a broader divide over whether a short-term extension can be paired with significant policy changes.
The past two years have left lawmakers wary of last-minute deals, and the two sides have a history of tense interactions around funding deadlines. The last time Schumer negotiated with Trump at the White House ahead of a looming deadline, in 2018, the government shut down for 35 days over a dispute about border security and a larger policy agenda. White House aides have continued to argue that a shutdown would be the Democrats’ fault if talks collapse, emphasizing the administration’s preference for a clean extension that keeps the government funded without adding contentious policy riders.
Thune has reiterated that any funding measure should be a vehicle for funding the government rather than a vehicle for sweeping policy changes, while he has kept the door open to conversations about healthcare policy such as the ACA premium tax credits. The tension between a clean funding approach and strategic policy additions remains the central hurdle as the Sept. 30 deadline nears.
As the clock ticks toward the end of September, there is no announced plan for a new meeting or a clear path forward. The absence of talks this week places the government at risk of a partial shutdown should lawmakers fail to reach a funding agreement when they return to Washington. Analysts say the standoff highlights a broader partisan divide over healthcare costs, social spending, and how aggressively to pursue policy changes within a funding bill, with both sides signaling possible flexibility only if the other side concedes ground.
Several analysts note that the outcome may hinge on whether Republicans can secure enough Democratic support to pass a stopgap that satisfies both chambers, or if Democrats can extract concessions on healthcare subsidies and other policy riders before the deadline. The next steps remain uncertain as lawmakers watch for any opening in what has become a high-stakes fiscal standoff tied to the nation’s health programs and the broader political landscape ahead of elections.
