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WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump and top congressional leaders are scheduled to meet at the White House on Monday, September 29, for a high-stakes meeting aimed at avoiding an impending government shutdown. The deadline is set for midnight on October 1, after which the federal government will need to maintain “essential” services like military and law enforcement, while non-essential functions such as national parks may close or reduce staffing.
The political blame game has already begun. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson accused Democrats of holding up efforts to pass a funding bill with a “laundry list” of partisan demands on CNN’s “State of the Union.” In contrast, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that averting a shutdown depends on the Republicans during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
The main sticking points for Democrats include health care funding: They are demanding reversals of Medicaid cuts made by Trump’s recent tax bill and extensions of Obamacare premium subsidies set to expire at year-end.
Democrats argue that any extension needs to be permanent, ironclad in legislation—not a verbal commitment. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer noted on “Meet the Press” that the meeting is just a first step towards serious negotiations.
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Republicans in the House narrowly passed a short-term funding bill on September 19 to fund the government through November 21 but it failed in the Senate, where 60 votes are required to overcome a filibuster. Speaker Mike Johnson accused Chuck Schumer of trying to shut down the government with a long list of demands that don’t fit into this process.
The countdown is on as Congress and its leadership have less than 48 hours before the deadline to avoid a government shutdown.
