The United States is on the brink of another government shutdown as Democratic and Republican leaders prepare to meet President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday in a last-ditch effort to break a deadlock over funding legislation.
If Congress and the president fail to reach an agreement before Tuesday night, many federal offices will close and non-exempt government workers will be furloughed, threatening wider economic fallout.
Republicans have passed a stopgap bill in the House that maintains most current funding levels for seven weeks, but Democrats are holding firm in their demands that any agreement must include an extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, which subsidize health insurance for millions of Americans.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson have warned that Democrats risk forcing a shutdown by rejecting the short-term bill. But Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has insisted his caucus cannot back away from healthcare protections. “The meeting is a first step, but only a first step. We need a serious negotiation,” Schumer said Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press.
President Trump, who has repeatedly signaled that a shutdown may be inevitable, has shown little appetite for meeting Democratic demands. “If it has to shut down, it’ll have to shut down,” he declared Friday. “But they’re the ones that are shutting down government.”
The standoff has escalated into a political gamble for both sides. Democrats argue that with Republicans controlling both Congress and the White House, blame will largely fall on them if the government shuts down. Republicans, meanwhile, have tried to shift responsibility by framing Democrats’ push for expanded health care as reckless brinkmanship.
This is not the first time such a showdown has loomed. In March, a similar funding crisis was narrowly averted when Schumer and several Democrats joined Republicans to advance a stopgap measure a move that triggered backlash from progressives in his party. This time, Schumer appears determined to hold his ground, even at the risk of short-term political fallout.
The White House meeting on Monday afternoon will bring Trump face-to-face with Schumer, Thune, Johnson, and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries. Yet past negotiations between Trump and Democrats have ended in acrimony, with the president frequently deriding opposition leaders and walking away from talks.
At stake are not only government operations but also the livelihoods of federal employees and the stability of programs relied upon by millions of Americans. With the Affordable Care Act tax credits set to expire at the end of the year, Democrats see this fight as pivotal for low- and middle-income families. Republicans, however, insist that reforms must address what they call “waste, fraud, and abuse.”
The outcome of Monday’s meeting remains uncertain. For now, Washington is bracing for a shutdown that could begin within 24 hours if no deal is struck.
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