Trump cancels White House meeting with Schumer and Jeffries despite risk
of a government shutdown
[September 24, 2025]
By LISA MASCARO
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has abruptly canceled this
week's planned meeting with congressional Democratic leaders, refusing
to negotiate over their demands to shore up health care funds as part of
a deal to prevent a potential looming federal government shutdown.
In a lengthy Tuesday social media post, Trump rejected the sit-down that
the White House had agreed to a day before. It would have been the first
time the Republican president met with the Democratic Party's leaders,
Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, since his return to the
White House.
“I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could
possibly be productive,” Trump wrote in the post.
The president complained the Democrats “are threatening to shut down the
Government of the United States” unless the Republicans agree to more
funding for health care for various groups of people he has criticized.
Trump did not close the door on a future sit-down with the Democratic
leaders, but he warned of a “long and brutal slog” ahead unless
Democrats dropped their demands to salvage health care funds.
The stalemate over a funding deal — or even talks between the White
House and Congress to strike a compromise — has quickly intensified the
risk of federal closures, starting as soon as next week, ahead of the
Oct. 1 deadline for the start of the government's new fiscal year.
The Democratic leaders swiftly accused the Republican president of
throwing a tantrum and running away from the situation.
“Trump Always Chickens Out,” Jeffries posted on X.
In a post directed at Trump, Schumer said Democrats will sit down and
discuss health care “when you’re finished ranting.”
Schumer said Trump “is running away from the negotiating table before he
even gets there” and would “rather throw a tantrum than do his job.”
Trump has been unafraid of shutting down the government and, during his
first term, was president over the nation's longest federal closure,
during the 2018-19 holiday season, when he was pushing Congress to
provide funds for his long-promised U.S.-Mexico border wall.
The president insisted over the weekend that essential services,
including those for veterans, would remain open.
Thursday’s scheduled meeting would have potentially set up a showdown at
the White House, reminiscent of the 2018 funding fight when Trump led an
explosive public session with Schumer and Rep. Nancy Pelosi.
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President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White
House, Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark
Schiefelbein)
Schumer and Jeffries had been demanding a meeting with Trump to work
out a compromise over the health care funds, and earlier Tuesday had
welcomed plans for this week’s meeting.
But the Republican president has been reluctant to enter talks and
instructed GOP leaders on Capitol Hill not to negotiate with the
Democrats.
House Speaker Mike Johnson's office said that the Democrats are
holding government funding “hostage” to their demands for vast
amounts of health care funding.
Republicans, who have the majority in both the House and the Senate,
have been trying to avoid a shutdown. Johnson had led the passage
late last week of a temporary funding measure, which would have kept
government offices running into November while talks get underway.
That's the typical way to buy time during funding fights, but the
measure failed in the Senate. Democrats refused to support the
stopgap bill because it did not include their priorities of health
care funds. A Democratic proposal, with the health care money
restored, was defeated by Senate Republicans.
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 breaks and
spending cuts 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.
Congress was sent home amid the logjam, and the House called off
next week's session. But Jeffries, in a letter to colleagues,
summoned House Democrats back to work on Monday evening, when
senators are also expected to resume their session — days before the
funding deadline.
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