❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump canceled a planned meeting with Democrat congressional leaders over their demands in government funding negotiations, as an October 1 deadline approaches.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald J. Trump, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), and Congress.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Tuesday morning via Truth Social; the meeting was set for the Oval Office this week.
💬KEY QUOTE: “After reviewing the details of the unserious and ridiculous demands being made by the Minority Radical Left Democrats in return for their Votes to keep our thriving Country open, I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive.” – Donald Trump.
🎯IMPACT: Heightened risk of a government shutdown, as both funding proposals failed in the Senate last week, potentially leading to a funding lapse at the end of the month.
President Donald J. Trump has thrown cold water on speculation that he would meet with Congressional Democratic leaders this week to negotiate a government funding compromise and avert a government shutdown beginning October 1. Early Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) appeared to confirm they would meet with President Trump in the Oval Office later this week. However, the America First leader has dismissed the possibility of a meeting, writing in a post on Truth Social that Democrats must “become realistic” about their legislative demands.
“After reviewing the details of the unserious and ridiculous demands being made by the Minority Radical Left Democrats in return for their Votes to keep our thriving Country open, I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive,” President Trump wrote. “They are threatening to shut down the Government of the United States unless they can have over $1 Trillion Dollars in new spending to continue free healthcare for Illegal Aliens (A monumental cost!), force Taxpayers to fund Transgender surgery for minors, have dead people on the Medicaid roles, allow Illegal Alien Criminals to steal Billions of Dollars in American Taxpayer Benefits, try to force our Country to again open our Borders to Criminals and to the World, allow men to play in women’s sports, and essentially create Transgender operations for everybody.”
“They are trying to eliminate the popular $50 Billion Dollar Rural and Vulnerable Hospital Fund, which was passed with only Republican Votes, and proudly signed into Law by ME,” Trump declared, adding: “The Democrats in Congress seem to have totally lost their way. They obviously have no idea what it means to put America First or to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! All Congressional Democrats want to do is enact Radical Left Policies that nobody voted for.”
Late last week, House Republicans passed a mostly clean continuing resolution, which would keep the government funded until November 21. The only notable provision added was funding for increased security for lawmakers in response to the assassination of Turning Point USA (TPUSA) founder Charlie Kirk. The House funding bill fell short of overcoming a Senate filibuster late Friday.
Senate Democrats countered with their own proposal that would fund the government until October 31. However, it contained additional new spending provisions and measures that would repeal portions of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” passed earlier this year.
Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.