With less than two weeks before the federal funding deadline, Democratic leaders in Congress have called for urgent talks with President Donald Trump to prevent a potential government shutdown.
Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Hakeem Jeffries said Republicans, following Trump’s insistence, have so far refused to enter negotiations.
In a letter sent on Saturday, the two New York Democrats accused the administration of risking a shutdown to advance Republican priorities that they say would undermine healthcare programs for millions of Americans. The Democrats reiterated their readiness to work toward a bipartisan spending agreement that would protect essential services and improve the lives of families across the country.
Trump, speaking with reporters on Saturday evening, suggested he remains open to a meeting but expressed skepticism about its impact. He warned that the government could be closed for a period while assuring that the military and Social Security payments would continue during any disruption.
Congress, currently controlled by Republicans, left Washington on Friday without resolving the funding issue. The House passed a Republican-backed measure to fund government operations into November, but the bill stalled in the Senate. Democratic proposals to increase healthcare funding also failed to secure enough support.
The standoff revives memories of the monthlong government shutdown in 2018 and 2019, the longest in federal history. Democrats are focused on preserving enhanced health insurance subsidies due to expire at the end of the year and reversing Medicaid cuts included in earlier Republican legislation. Republicans have called these demands nonnegotiable but have suggested there may be room to address some subsidy issues later.
House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune have proposed a short-term funding measure as a possible solution. While the House narrowly approved the proposal on mostly party-line votes, the Senate requires broader bipartisan support to pass similar measures.
As the September 30 deadline approaches, the country faces uncertainty over government operations. Democrats insist that protecting healthcare must remain central to any deal, while Republicans maintain that responsibility for any potential shutdown rests with the opposition.
