Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on Sunday urged President Donald Trump to meet with Democrats to strike a deal to avoid a government shutdown as the funding deadline looms.
“I hope and pray that Trump will sit down with us and negotiate a bipartisan bill,” Schumer said on CNN’s “State of the Union,” days before federal funding is set to expire on Sept. 30.
Schumer’s push comes after the Senate last week rejected both Republican and Democratic proposals to keep the government funded at least temporarily, raising the likelihood of a shutdown.
As the threat of a shutdown intensifies, both parties are eager to paint the other party as being responsible if funding ultimately runs out.
“It’s the Republicans shutting down the government first,” Schumer insisted on Sunday.
Congressional Democrats have made health care a red line in negotiations.
Specifically, lawmakers are demanding that any funding legislation include an extension of the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced tax credits, which are currently set to expire at the end of this year.
Republicans, however, appear unlikely to yield to Democrats’ demands, underscoring the stalemate.
Schumer in March voted with Republicans to avert a government shutdown, sparking strong backlash from his party.
This time, however, he appears to be holding the line.
But on Sunday, when pressed multiple times whether he would ultimately vote against a GOP funding bill if Republicans do not negotiate, Schumer avoided a direct answer. “We hope it doesn’t come to that,” he said.
Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, also of New York, on Saturday sent a letter to Trump urging him to meet with Democrats “to reach an agreement to keep the government open.”
Trump said late Saturday that he would “love” to meet with Democrats in Congress, but added he did not think “it’s going to have any impact.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., for his part, insists that the upper chamber can pass legislation to avert a shutdown — without concessions.
“All it takes is a handful of Democrats to join the Republicans in keeping the government open and funded, and to ensure we have a chance to get the appropriations process completed in the way it was intended,” Thune said last week, according to the Associated Press.
Any legislation will need 60 votes to pass, and with Republicans’ razor-thin majority, some Democrats would need to vote with Republicans to clear that threshold.
Both chambers are scheduled to be on recess this week, putting further pressure on lawmakers to strike a deal on a tight timeline.