Trump to meet with Schumer and Jeffries as government shutdown risk
looms
[September 23, 2025]
By LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING
WASHINGTON
(AP) — President Donald Trump will meet with the Democratic leaders in
Congress this week ahead of a looming risk of a federal government
shutdown.
Trump has agreed to meet with Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem
Jeffries, who are insisting on talks as the Democrats work to preserve
health care programs as part of any deal to fund the government ahead of
next week's Oct. 1 deadline. |

President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House,
Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) |
That's according to two people familiar with the situation and
granted anonymity because they are unauthorized to discuss it.
The meeting is set for Thursday, one of the people said.
The chance for Trump and the congressional leaders to open talks
comes at a critical period in the government funding cycle, with
just days to go before federal money runs out with the end of
the fiscal year on Tuesday, Sept. 30.
Trump had left the door open to a meeting even as he has also
suggested there may be government closures.
“I’d love to meet with them, but I don’t think it’s going to
have any impact,” Trump said in an exchange Saturday with
reporters.
Congress has failed to pass legislation to keep the government
running after having deadlocked following rounds of voting late
last week.
While the House approved a Republican proposal to keep the
federal government funded into November, the measure failed in
the Senate, where the rules can require a higher 60-vote
threshold that means support is needed from Republicans and
Democrats. A Democratic proposal that would have boosted health
care funds also failed.
Democrats are working to protect health care programs. The
Democratic proposal would extend enhanced health insurance
subsidies set to expire at the end of the year, plus reverse
Medicaid cuts that were included in Republicans’ big tax break
and spending cut bill enacted earlier this year.
Republicans have said the Democrats’ demands to reverse the
Medicaid changes are a nonstarter, but they have also said there
is time to address the health insurance subsidy issue in the
months ahead.
The meeting was first reported by Punchbowl News.
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