Federal funds expire in the middle of the night on September 30th.
Rep. Mike Johnson says Dems’ stance could lead to the closure on October 1st
House Speaker Mike Johnson says Democrats may force government shutdowns as the deadline is approaching October 1st.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump will meet with two top Democrats in Congress this week, hoping to avoid a quick government shutdown.
The president will sit down with Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hicombe Jeffries on Thursday, September 25th to negotiate government funding, according to anyone familiar with the matter. It has not yet been officially announced, and it was not clear exactly when and where the meeting first reported by Punchbowl News.
The dialogue represents a great opportunity for Democrats and the White House to harmonize their differences and stop the closure after talking to each other in weeks. Government funding expired after more than a week, and the failed vote in the Senate last week neither approached the deal.
Over the past few weeks, Republicans have been in favour of maintaining funding at the current level of government until just before Thanksgiving.
Meanwhile, Democrats say they won’t support funding expansions that don’t address healthcare-related demands. Specifically, they want to reverse Medicaid cuts and extend the expired Obamacare subsidies. GOP has refused to move any of these issues so far.
Zachary Schermele is a council reporter for USA Today. You can contact him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @Zachschermele and follow Bluesky at @Zachschermele.bsky.social.
