WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will meet with top Congressional leaders at the White House on Monday as the clock is ticking to reach a deal to keep the government open before a Tuesday shutdown.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.C.) are all expected to attend.
Punchbowl News first reported the meeting.
The news comes after Trump abruptly canceled a planned meeting with Democratic leaders on Thursday at the request of the Republican leadership.
Jeffries and Schumer confirmed the meeting in a statement while also trading talking points about Trump and the Republicans owning the shutdown.
“President Trump has once again agreed to a meeting in the Oval Office,” the Democratic leaders said. “As we have repeatedly said, Democrats will meet anywhere, at any time, and with anyone to negotiate a bipartisan spending agreement that meets the needs of the American people. We are resolute in our determination to avoid a government shutdown and address the Republican healthcare crisis. Time is running out.”
Republicans have insisted that they won’t make concessions to pass a short-term funding bill and other things can be added in once the funding bill passes and is signed by Trump.
The White House Office of Management and Budget this week instructed agencies to prepare mass firing plans in case of a shutdown.
Government funding is set to expire on Sept. 30. Congress must pass or extend a spending bill before Oct. 1 to prevent a shutdown.
