President Donald Trump is set to meet with Republican and Democratic leaders on Monday as Washington races to avoid a partial government shutdown at midnight Wednesday.
The standoff comes after Senate Democrats earlier this month blocked a Republican-backed stopgap spending bill that would have kept the government funded until November 21. Democrats insist any deal must include measures to expand healthcare coverage, including reversing cuts to Medicaid contained in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Republicans argue healthcare should be debated separately as part of broader spending negotiations.
With Republicans holding 53 Senate seats, at least 60 votes are required to advance a funding measure, making bipartisan support essential. On Sunday, Senate leaders traded blame: Majority Leader John Thune told NBC’s Meet the Press that “the ball is in their court,” while Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats need “a serious negotiation,” not a presidential “rant.”
The upcoming talks follow Trump’s decision last week to cancel a meeting with Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, denouncing Democratic proposals as “unserious and ridiculous.”
Read Also: Four Killed In Shooting, Fire Attack At Michigan Mormon Church
If no deal is reached by Wednesday’s deadline, hundreds of thousands of federal employees will face furloughs or delayed paychecks. Since 1980, the U.S. has seen 14 shutdowns, most lasting only days. The longest — in late 2018 and early 2019 — dragged on for 34 days.
