Schumer requests meeting with Trump ‘any time, any place’ as Democrat stalemate drags on
As the government shutdown enters its third week, top congressional Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, are urging President Donald Trump to engage in negotiations to resolve the ongoing crisis. Schumer announced that he and Jeffries reached out to Trump on Tuesday, expressing their willingness to meet “any time, any place” to discuss critical issues, particularly the urgent need to extend expiring Obamacare subsidies. The Democrats argue that the situation is worsening for the American people, and they believe a serious discussion with Trump is necessary to address healthcare concerns and end what they refer to as the “Trump shutdown.”
Despite the Democrats’ calls for dialogue, Senate Republicans, led by John Thune, remain steadfast in their approach, having blocked Democratic attempts to reopen the government on multiple occasions. Thune emphasized that Senate Republicans are united in their strategy to repeatedly introduce the same funding bill, which has already been rejected 11 times. He indicated that while Trump might be open to meeting with Schumer and Jeffries, such discussions would likely only occur if Senate Democrats agree to facilitate the votes needed to reopen the government. The ongoing impasse reflects deep divisions within Congress regarding spending priorities, with Republicans rejecting what they view as untenable Democratic demands for significant new spending and expanded healthcare provisions for noncitizens.
As the stalemate continues, the political landscape remains fraught with tension. With another vote on a House-passed continuing resolution scheduled for Wednesday, the likelihood of a breakthrough appears slim. The current standoff not only highlights the challenges of bipartisan governance but also underscores the critical impacts of the shutdown on American citizens who rely on government services. As both parties dig in their heels, the pressure mounts for a resolution that addresses the urgent needs of the nation while navigating the complex political dynamics at play.
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The top congressional Democrats want a meeting with President
Donald Trump
as the government shutdown stretches on.
Senate Minority Leader
Chuck Schumer
, D-N.Y., said that both he and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., reached out to Trump on Tuesday to set up a confab with the president.
The top Senate Democrat said the duo “urged” Trump to meet with them, and that they were open to setting up “an appointment with him any time, any place.”
SENATE DEMS EMBOLDENED BY WEEKEND RALLIES BLOCK GOP PLAN TO END SHUTDOWN FOR 11TH TIME
“Hakeem and I reached out to the president today and urged him to sit down and negotiate with us to resolve the healthcare crisis, address it and end the Trump shutdown,” Schumer said. “He should sit — the things get worse every day for the American people. He should sit down with us, negotiate in a serious way before he goes away.”
Congressional Democrats, particularly Schumer and his Democratic caucus, have remained steadfast in their demands for an extension to expiring
Obamacare subsidies
. Though Senate Republicans have been open to holding a vote on the matter after the government reopens, Democrats want an ironclad guarantee that the subsidies will be extended well before their expiration at the end of this year.
Should Trump relent to their request, it would mark the first meeting among the trio since Schumer, Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader
John Thune
, R-S.D., and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., met in the Oval Office a day before the shutdown began.
‘GOOFBALLS’ AND HOSTAGES: GOP SENATORS SAY SCHUMER’S SHUTDOWN TACTICS DESTROYING THE SENATE
Lawmakers left that meeting with no agreement to avert the shutdown, which has now dragged on for 21 days.
Senate Democrats
have also blocked Thune and Republicans’ attempts to reopen the government 11 times. Another vote on the House-passed continuing resolution, which would reopen the government until Nov. 21, is expected on Wednesday.
And like the many attempts before, that latest effort is expected to fail.
Meanwhile, Senate Republicans met with Trump for lunch at the White House Tuesday afternoon.
THUNE SLAMS SCHUMER’S ‘KINGMAKER’ POLITICS, REFUSES TO ‘KISS THE RING’ IN SHUTDOWN TALKS
Speaking to reporters afterward, Thune reiterated that Senate Republicans were united in their war of attrition strategy to continue putting the same bill on the floor again and again. He noted that Trump would likely agree to meet with Schumer and Jeffries, but only after Senate Democrats unlocked the votes needed to reopen the government.
“We have negotiated. I don’t know what there is to negotiate. This is about opening up the government,” Thune said. “We have offered them several off-ramps. Now, the Democrats want something that’s totally untenable. I mean, they want $1.5 trillion in new spending. They want free healthcare for people who are noncitizens in this country. That is just a flat nonstarter. It doesn’t pass the Senate. It won’t pass the House. It won’t be signed into law by the president.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Jeffries’ and the White House for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Eric
Eric is a seasoned journalist covering US Politics news.
