Trump to meet Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries, Chuck Schumer before government shutdown deadline

President Donald Trump will meet this week with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to discuss government funding, according to two people granted anonymity to discuss the plans, which have not been publicly announced.

The Trump meeting with Democratic leaders comes as Congress faces a September 30 deadline to prevent a government shutdown. Both the House and Senate are out of session this week, with funding set to expire at midnight Sept. 30.

It was not immediately clear when this week the sitdown will happen; it's also unclear if the top Republican congressional leaders will participate. The timing of the Trump-Democratic leaders meeting remains unconfirmed as government funding negotiations continue.


Also read: GOP-Democrat standoff over healthcare puts US government at risk of shutdown

Republicans push clean spending bill, Democrats propose alternative

Republicans and Trump have been pushing for a "clean" seven-week stopgap spending bill, while Democrats have introduced an alternative measure that would extend government funding for four weeks while attaching other demands.

The competing proposals highlight the partisan divide over government shutdown prevention strategies as the September 30 deadline approaches.

Democrats requested Trump meeting after GOP leaders refused

The meeting comes after Schumer and Jeffries, frustrated with GOP congressional leaders refusing their two previous attempts to set up a meeting, sent a letter to Trump on Saturday asking for a sitdown.

Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer bypassed Republican congressional leadership to directly request the Trump meeting on government funding after unsuccessful attempts to engage GOP leaders.

Trump expresses willingness to meet despite skepticism

Trump told reporters over the weekend that he would be happy to meet but warned "I don't think it's going to have any impact."

The president's comments suggest cautious optimism about the Trump-Democratic leaders meeting while expressing doubt about potential outcomes for government shutdown prevention.

Congress faces tight timeline for government shutdown prevention

With both chambers of Congress out of session this week, lawmakers face significant time constraints to reach a government funding agreement. The September 30 government shutdown deadline creates urgency for bipartisan negotiations between Trump and Democratic leaders.

Also read: Democratic leaders in US Congress demand meeting with Trump to avert government shutdown

The Trump meeting with Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer represents a direct approach to government funding discussions as traditional congressional negotiations have stalled.