Trump to meet with congressional leaders as government shutdown risk looms

President Donald Trump plans to meet pinch nan apical 4 legislature leaders astatine nan White House connected Monday, 1 time earlier nan deadline to money nan national authorities aliases look a shutdown.

The gathering involving House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune arsenic good arsenic House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was confirmed connected Saturday by a White House charismatic and 2 different group acquainted pinch nan planning.

They were granted anonymity to talk a gathering that has not been announced.

“President Trump has erstwhile again agreed to a gathering successful nan Oval Office. As we person many times said, Democrats will meet anywhere, astatine immoderate clip and pinch anyone to discuss a bipartisan spending statement that meets nan needs of nan American people,” Schumer and Jeffries said successful a associated connection connected Saturday night.

“We are resolute successful our determination to debar a authorities shutdown and reside nan Republican healthcare crisis. Time is moving out.”

The gathering was first reported by Punchbowl News.

The parties person been successful a standoff for days arsenic Democrats, namely successful nan Senate, person refused to connection nan basal votes to walk a backing measurement that would support nan authorities unfastened beyond Tuesday.

Absent immoderate action, a shutdown would statesman astatine 12:01am ET (2.01pm AEST) connected Wednesday.

Democrats had secured a gathering pinch Trump until Republican leaders intervened and nan president called it off.

But Schumer said privately pinch Thune connected Friday, pushing nan mostly leader to get a gathering pinch Trump scheduled because of nan approaching backing deadline, according to an adjutant for Schumer.

“As rank-and-file Democrats statesman to mobility their leadership’s unsustainable position, Sen. Schumer is intelligibly getting nervous,” Ryan Wrasse, a spokesperson for Thune, responded Saturday night.

“There’s an easy measurement out, and they’ll get a chance to return it adjacent week.”

Democrats, believing they person leverage, person insisted connected cardinal wellness attraction provisions successful speech for their votes.

They want an hold of subsidies that thief low- and middle-income earners acquisition security done nan Affordable Care Act.

Democrats are besides insisting connected reversing cuts to Medicaid that were included nan GOP’s signature taxation measurement earlier this year.

Republicans opportunity those demands are nonstarters and that they are consenting to person a speech pinch Democrats connected those issues abstracted from authorities backing talks.

The GOP is asking for a consecutive hold of existent backing for 7 weeks.

Earlier successful nan week, Johnson acknowledged he had encouraged Trump not to meet pinch nan Democratic leaders.

“He and I talked astir it astatine magnitude yesterday and nan time before. I said, look, erstwhile they get their occupation done, erstwhile they do nan basal governing activity of keeping nan authorities open, arsenic president, past you tin person a gathering pinch him,” Johnson said connected nan Mike & McCarty Show successful his location authorities of Louisiana.

“Of course, it mightiness beryllium productive astatine that point, but correct now, this is conscionable a discarded of his time.”

And Thune, R-S.D., had said earlier successful nan week that he “did person a speech pinch nan president” and offered his sentiment connected nan meeting, which he declined to disclose.

“But I deliberation nan president speaks for himself, and I deliberation he came to nan conclusion that gathering would not beryllium productive,” Thune said.

Democrats person expressed assurance that voters would blasted Trump and Republicans for immoderate disruptions successful national services, moreover though that’s not astatine each guaranteed.

Republicans, connected nan different hand, had been heading toward nan activity week pinch plans successful nan Senate to support showcasing Democrats' refusal to work together to nan stopgap measure, while nan House GOP planned to enactment distant from Washington successful a show of their ain unwillingness to prosecute Democratic alternatives.

That too, came pinch imaginable governmental drawbacks for House Republicans, arsenic Democrats hammered them for being, arsenic Jeffries said, “on vacation.”

DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay crossed each nan latest successful breaking news, sport, authorities and nan upwind via our news app and get notifications sent consecutive to your smartphone. Available connected the Apple App Store and Google Play.