Trump Cancels Schumer, Jeffries Meeting as Shutdown Looms/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ President Donald Trump abruptly canceled a White House meeting with Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, rejecting negotiations over health care funding tied to a government funding bill. The cancellation raises the risk of a shutdown on October 1, with Congress deadlocked and lawmakers out of session until September 29. Both parties remain entrenched, recalling Trump’s history of tolerating shutdowns as a negotiating tactic.
Trump and Congress Shutdown Clash Quick Looks
- Trump canceled his first planned sit-down with Schumer and Jeffries since returning to the White House.
- Accused Democrats of threatening a shutdown unless health care funds were restored.
- Warned of a “long and brutal slog” unless Democrats dropped demands.
- Congress faces an October 1 shutdown deadline if funding bills fail.
- GOP passed a short-term funding extension in the House; Senate Democrats blocked it.
- Democrats insist on preserving subsidies and reversing Medicaid cuts.
- Trump previously oversaw the longest U.S. shutdown during 2018–19.
- Schumer and Jeffries accused Trump of “chickening out” of negotiations.
Deep Look:
Trump Cancels White House Meeting with Schumer and Jeffries as Shutdown Deadline Nears
WASHINGTON — With just days before a possible federal government shutdown, President Donald Trump abruptly canceled a highly anticipated White House meeting with Democratic leaders Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, deepening the standoff over funding legislation.
The cancellation, announced in a fiery Tuesday social media post, came less than 24 hours after the White House confirmed that Trump would host the two Democrats for the first time since his return to office. The meeting had been viewed as a critical step toward avoiding a shutdown when government funding expires at midnight on October 1.
“I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive,” Trump wrote. He accused Democrats of holding the government “hostage” by tying health care funding demands to budget negotiations.
A Shutdown Just Days Away
Unless Congress passes a funding measure, the federal government will partially close on October 1, the start of the new fiscal year. Such a closure would furlough thousands of workers, freeze many services, and disrupt federal programs across the country.
Lawmakers are currently in recess and not scheduled to return until September 29, leaving only two days to craft and approve a funding deal. The timing adds urgency — and risk — to the stalemate.
The Fight Over Health Care Funds
At the center of the dispute are health care subsidies and Medicaid cuts. Democrats are demanding that the funding package extend enhanced subsidies for health insurance that expire at year’s end and reverse Medicaid reductions included in Republicans’ earlier tax-and-spending legislation.
Schumer and Jeffries argue the GOP’s approach jeopardizes affordable care for millions. In a joint statement before the canceled meeting, they accused Republicans of “stonewalling” and urged Trump to step in personally.
“Weeks of Republican stonewalling brought us here,” they said. “The president agreed to meet. Now he has walked away.”
Jeffries sharpened his criticism online after the cancellation:
“Donald Trump just cancelled a high stakes meeting in the Oval Office with myself and Leader Schumer. The extremists want to shut down the government because they are unwilling to address the Republican health care crisis that is devastating America.”
Republicans insist they are not trying to gut health care but reject reversing their Medicaid cuts. They argue there is time later to address expiring subsidies without holding up the entire funding process.
Trump’s Shutdown Record
Trump is no stranger to brinkmanship. During his first presidency, he presided over the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, lasting 35 days between December 2018 and January 2019. That closure was fueled by his demand for border wall funding, which Democrats opposed.
In recent days, Trump signaled he was comfortable with a shutdown again if Democrats refused to budge. He insisted essential services — including veterans’ care — would remain operational even if large swaths of the government close.
“We may be in for a long and brutal slog,” Trump warned Tuesday, adding he would not cave to “reckless demands.”
Congressional Deadlock Deepens
Republicans control both chambers of Congress but remain divided over strategy. House Speaker Mike Johnson advanced a short-term continuing resolution last week to keep the government open until November. The measure passed the House but failed in the Senate, where Democrats opposed it for omitting health care funding.
Democrats countered with their own proposal restoring subsidies and reversing Medicaid cuts, but Senate Republicans blocked it.
The result is legislative paralysis. Both sides are pointing fingers, with neither willing to concede ground on health care — even as the shutdown deadline looms.
Cancelled Meeting Revives Shutdown Memories
The now-scrapped White House session was expected to echo the dramatic 2018 Oval Office showdown, when Trump sparred on live television with Schumer and then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi over border wall funding. That meeting ended in confrontation, setting the stage for the record-long shutdown that followed.
This time, Democrats hoped a face-to-face with Trump could yield a compromise. Instead, the cancellation suggests talks may stall further until the shutdown actually begins.
Partisan Blame Game
Democrats accuse Trump of cowardice. “Trump always chickens out,” Jeffries wrote on social media, claiming Republicans are too beholden to extremists to negotiate in good faith.
Republicans counter that Democrats are the ones willing to risk a shutdown for political leverage. GOP leaders insist they can resolve subsidy issues later, but Democrats say waiting risks health care coverage for vulnerable groups.
What’s Next?
With only days to avert a shutdown, Washington is bracing for another high-stakes fiscal crisis. Federal agencies are preparing contingency plans, while lawmakers face mounting pressure from constituents and businesses alarmed about disruptions.
For Trump, the confrontation reinforces his governing style: rejecting compromise when he believes Democrats are leveraging political optics, even if it risks economic fallout. For Democrats, the cancellation underscores their view that Trump is unwilling to lead during crises.
Whether the parties can bridge the divide before October 1 remains uncertain. For now, the government — and millions of Americans who depend on it — are caught in the middle.
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