President Donald Trump meets with congressional leadership this afternoon about the impending government shutdown.
That they’re even talking is a good sign; House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries even said he’s “hopeful.” That doesn’t mean they’re anywhere close to a deal, though. Any agreement would probably come together right before the Oct. 1 deadline, which at this point is an optimistic outcome.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Trump will try to convince Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to allow the GOP’s seven-week funding bill to pass. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said a shutdown is “totally up to the Democrats,” while Schumer said it “depends on Republicans.”
After a conference call on Sunday afternoon, Senate Democrats stayed firm in demanding a health care negotiation rather than caving on the House GOP’s stopgap bill. Let’s see how everyone sounds coming out of the meeting.