Congressional leaders left their White House sit-down with President Donald Trump on Monday saying that no ground had been gained in efforts to avert a government shutdown by Wednesday, raising the prospect that federal operations will grind to a halt within 48 hours.
Democrats continue to press for extending health care subsidies set to lapse at the end of the year, while Republicans insist their stopgap funding measure must be accepted as-is.
Both sides admitted little progress was made during the discussion — and each blamed the other for the impasse.
“There are still large differences between us,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters outside the White House.
“Their bill has not one iota of Democratic input. That is never how we’ve done this before,” Schumer continued. “It’s up to the Republicans whether they want a shutdown or not.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) pushed back, pointing to the GOP bill itself.
“This is sitting right now at the Senate desk,” Thune said while holding up a copy of the measure. “We could pick it up and pass it tonight, pick it up and pass it tomorrow before the government shuts down, and then we don’t have the government shutdown. It is totally up to the Democrats, because right now, they are the only thing standing between the American people and the government shutting down.”
The tense meeting followed weeks of very public wrangling — not only between Democrats and Trump but also between Democrats and Republicans in general.
For weeks, Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) had not met with their GOP counterparts, Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who maintained there was no need since their proposed continuing resolution would keep the government running through late November.
Democrats, however, argue that such a “clean” bill will not suffice this time.
Schumer has insisted any short-term spending plan must address issues like the expiration of Affordable Care Act subsidies, Republican Medicaid reductions included in their larger tax and spending package, and Trump’s power to reclaim previously appropriated funds.
With no side budging, many lawmakers now believe a shutdown is nearly inevitable.
“Unless something breaks in the morning, unfortunately it looks like they’re going to shut it down,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of the GOP leadership, pinning the blame on Schumer. “Schumer is going to shut it down.”
Schumer told reporters that he and Trump discussed the health care matters extensively, suggesting the president appeared to be hearing about them for the first time — an assertion Republicans strongly rejected.
He further claimed there were signs of a potential split between Trump and GOP leaders over the subsidies.
“When we made these arguments it was clear there was a division or possible division between the president and the two Republican leaders,” Schumer said, referring to Thune and Johnson.
Thune denied any rift, saying Republicans remain united.
“We’re unified. We’re all on the same page,” Thune said, dismissing Schumer’s remarks.
Much of the speculation in recent days has been whether Democrats will hold together in opposing the GOP proposal, especially after Schumer frustrated progressives in March by backing a Republican spending bill.
At that time, Schumer cited the administration’s moves to slash government payrolls under the Department of Government Efficiency, which was tasked with eliminating jobs across multiple agencies.
This round, Democrats appear more willing to confront the administration directly. They denounced the Office of Management and Budget’s contingency plan, authored by Director Russell Vought, which outlines sweeping layoffs, calling it a political stunt.
Still, reports surfaced Monday that Schumer had asked Senate Democrats about potentially supporting a brief 7-to-10-day resolution if a shutdown occurs, signaling he was weighing next steps for reopening government.
Republicans quickly rejected that notion.
“The House bill is going to be on the table and that’s what we’re going to vote on,” Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said. “This is clearly going to be a Democrat shutdown, driven by [Schumer].”
Later, Schumer dismissed the idea of short-term extensions, pointing to his Oval Office health care discussion with Trump and saying time had run out.
Some Republicans have indicated interest in negotiating around the ACA subsidies, which expire December 31, given the expected rise in premiums and the political stakes heading into an election year.
But GOP lawmakers want to pair any such deal with tougher restrictions on the credits and would prefer to tackle it in November with a longer-term budget package — something Democrats reject as inadequate.
“On October 1st, [people] get these notices, and many of them, by November, have to make a decision whether to change their health care,” Schumer said. “You can’t wait till January. You have to do that now.”
With no resolution in sight, both sides have dug in deeper, escalating the blame game as the shutdown deadline approaches.
“You don’t put a gun to the American people’s head and say, unless you do exactly what Senate and House Democrats want you to do, we’re going to shut down your government,” Vice President Vance said after the meeting.
“I think we’re headed into a shutdown because the Democrats won’t do the right thing. I hope they change their mind,” he added.
{Matzav.com}
