Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would not meet with top congressional Democrats to discuss their demands for keeping the federal government open, prompting Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer to accuse the president of “running away from the negotiating table before he even gets there”.
Congress is up against a 30 September deadline to authorize more funding or spark a shutdown that would see many federal agencies close their doors and furlough workers. While Republicans have proposed continuing funding through 21 November to allow passage of legislation authorizing spending for the rest of the fiscal year, Democrats have seized on the deadline to demand their healthcare priorities be addressed.
Schumer together with his House counterpart, minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, had called for a meeting with Trump to discuss the impasse, and on Tuesday morning announced the president had agreed to sit down.
Related: Democrats reject spending bill over healthcare cuts as shutdown looms
“In the meeting, we will emphasize the importance of addressing rising costs, including the Republican healthcare crisis. It’s past time to meet and work to avoid a Republican-caused shutdown,” they said in a joint statement.
Hours later, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he would not be meeting with the Democrats.
“After reviewing the details of the unserious and ridiculous demands being made by the Minority Radical Left Democrats in return for their Votes to keep our thriving Country open, I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive,” the president said.
He dangled the possibility of future talks with the Democrats “if they get serious about the future of our Nation”.
“We must keep the Government open, and legislate like true Patriots rather than hold American Citizens hostage, knowing that they want our now thriving Country closed. I’ll be happy to meet with them if they agree to the Principles in this Letter. They must do their job! Otherwise, it will just be another long and brutal slog through their radicalized quicksand,” Trump added.
On X, Jeffries wrote that Trump “just cancelled a high stakes meeting” and “the extremists want to shut down the government because they are unwilling to address the Republican healthcare crisis that is devastating America.”
“Trump Always Chickens Out,” Jeffries said, repeating a saying that spread earlier this year amid the president’s uneven imposition of tariffs.
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Schumer said in a statement: “Trump is running away from the negotiating table before he even gets there. While Americans face rising costs and a Republican healthcare crisis, Trump would rather throw a tantrum than do his job.”
A White House spokesperson declined to comment on if Trump had initially agreed to meeting with the Democrats.
Democrats have proposed legislation funding the government through 31 October, while also undoing changes to Medicaid that Republicans enacted earlier this year, which are expected to cost millions of people their healthcare. They are also included an extension of subsidies for the costs of healthcare plans under the Affordable Care Act, along with the restoration of public media funding that Republicans cut earlier this year and a prohibition on Trump’s “pocket rescission” of foreign aid funding.
Both parties have included in their funding bills additional money for the security of Congress, judges and executive branch officials in response to Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Republicans have proposed $88m in spending, while Democrats have offered $326m.
