Democratic leadership is pressing President Donald Trump for a meeting as fears mount about a government shutdown.
If the ruling parties in Washington, D.C., can’t agree on a funding bill, the government will shut down on Oct. 1.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) penned a joint letter to Trump on Saturday, demanding a meeting.
“We write to demand a meeting in connection with your decision to shut down the federal government because of the Republican desire to continue to gut the healthcare of the American people,” they wrote.
The pair accused Trump of directing Republican leaders to stonewall bipartisan negotiations before expressing their unwillingness to support a “dirty spending bill that continues the Republican assault on healthcare.”
Schumer and Jeffries said that Trump and Republicans will bear the responsibility of another shutdown if an agreement isn’t reached by Sept. 30.
“As a result, it is now your obligation to meet with us directly to reach an agreement to keep the government open and address the Republican healthcare crisis,” they wrote. “…We do not understand why you prefer to shut down the government rather than protect the healthcare and the quality of life of the American people.”
Trump has not met with Democratic leadership yet in his second term, nor has he held a private phone call. During his first term, he held a now-infamous meeting with Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Schumer that devolved into a shouting match.
The president expressed reluctant willingness to meet with Democratic leadership last month. “I will, I guess, but it’s almost a waste of time to meet, because they never approve anything,” Trump said.
Trump said earlier this week that a shutdown was a possibility. “I think we could very well end up with a closed country for a period of time,” he told reporters.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has said he is willing to meet with Schumer but that he hasn’t received correspondence indicating the New York senator is interested.
“They have something that they want to bring to us and talk about, and certainly we’re open to talking, but like I said before, I’ve been available now for weeks,” Thune said.
HARD TO SEE RATIONALE BEHIND HARRIS PUBLISHING 107 DAYS: BYRON YORK
The House is considering passing a 7-week stopgap funding measure, Politico reported, and then going into recess until after Oct. 1.
The move would effectively force the Senate to pass the measure in order to keep the government open, pushing Democrats to vote for Republican priorities they likely won’t want.
