Trump cancels White House meeting with Schumer and Jeffries despite risk of a government shutdown

Key Points

• President Donald Trump canceled a planned meeting with Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, jeopardizing potential negotiations to prevent a looming government shutdown.
• The cancellation came after Trump criticized Democrats for their demands for health care funding, which he deemed as a primary cause for the ongoing stalemate in Congress.
• With no agreement in sight, the government is on track for a shutdown on October 1 unless the House and Senate pass necessary funding legislation.
• Trump's reluctance to negotiate has fueled tensions, with Democrats accusing him of "chickening out" of discussions meant to address critical health care issues.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has abruptly canceled this week's planned meeting with congressional Democratic leaders, refusing to negotiate over their demands to shore up health care funds as part of a deal to prevent a potential looming federal government shutdown.

In a lengthy Tuesday social media post, Trump rejected the sit-down that the White House had agreed to a day before. It would have been the first time the Republican president met with the Democratic Party's leaders, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, since his return to the White House.

“I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive,” Trump wrote in the post.

The president complained the Democrats “are threatening to shut down the Government of the United States” unless the Republicans agree to more funding for health care for various groups of people he has criticized. Trump did not close the door on a future sit-down with the Democratic leaders, but he warned of a “long and brutal slog” ahead unless Democrats dropped their demands to salvage health care funds.

The stalemate over a funding deal — or even talks between the White House and Congress to strike a compromise — has quickly intensified the risk of federal closures, starting as soon as next week, ahead of the Oct. 1 deadline for the start of the government's new fiscal year.

The Democratic leaders swiftly accused the Republican president of throwing a tantrum and running away from the situation.

“Trump Always Chickens Out,” Jeffries posted on X.

In a post directed at Trump, Schumer said Democrats will sit down and discuss health care “when you’re finished ranting.”

Schumer said Trump “is running away from the negotiating table before he even gets there” and would “rather throw a tantrum than do his job.”

Trump has been unafraid of shutting down the government and, during his first term, was president over the nation's longest federal closure, during the 2018-19 holiday season, when he was pushing Congress to provide funds for his long-promised U.S.-Mexico border wall.

The president insisted over the weekend that essential services, including those for veterans, would remain open.

Thursday’s scheduled meeting would have potentially set up a showdown at the White House, reminiscent of the 2018 funding fight when Trump led an explosive public session with Schumer and Rep. Nancy Pelosi.

Schumer and Jeffries had been demanding a meeting with Trump to work out a compromise over the health care funds, and earlier Tuesday had welcomed plans for this week’s meeting.

But the Republican president has been reluctant to enter talks and instructed GOP leaders on Capitol Hill not to negotiate with the Democrats.

House Speaker Mike Johnson's office said that the Democrats are holding government funding “hostage” to their demands for vast amounts of health care funding.

Republicans, who have the majority in both the House and the Senate, have been trying to avoid a shutdown. Johnson had led the passage late last week of a temporary funding measure, which would have kept government offices running into November while talks get underway.

That's the typical way to buy time during funding fights, but the measure failed in the Senate. Democrats refused to support the stopgap bill because it did not include their priorities of health care funds. A Democratic proposal, with the health care money restored, was defeated by Senate Republicans.

The Democratic proposal would extend enhanced health insurance subsidies set to expire at the end of the year, plus reverse Medicaid cuts that were included in Republicans’ big tax breaks and spending cuts bill enacted earlier this year.

Republicans have said the Democrats’ demands to reverse the Medicaid changes are a nonstarter, but they have also said there is time to address the health insurance subsidy issue in the months ahead.

Congress was sent home amid the logjam, and the House called off next week's session. But Jeffries, in a letter to colleagues, summoned House Democrats back to work on Monday evening, when senators are also expected to resume their session — days before the funding deadline.