Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer urged President Donald Trump to meet with Democrats on Sunday, urging him to sign a contract to avoid government shutdown as funding deadlines approach.
“I hope Trump will sit with us and negotiate a bipartisan bill,” Schumer said in CNN’s “coalition status” before federal funds expired on September 30.
The Schumer push comes after Senators rejected both Republican and Democrats’ proposals to maintain funding at least temporarily last week, increasing the likelihood of a closure.
As the threat of shutdown intensifies, both parties are eager to hold the other party liable if the funds are eventually run out.
“It was Republicans first shutting down the government,” Schumer claimed Sunday.
Congressional Democrats put healthcare in the red line in negotiations.
Specifically, lawmakers require the funding law to include an extension of the enhanced tax credits of the Affordable Care Act, which is due to expire at the end of this year.
However, Republicans seem unlikely to succumb to Democrats’ demands, highlighting the stalemate.
Schumer in March voted with Republicans to avoid government shutdown, sparking strong backlash from his party.
However, this time he appears to be holding the line.
But Schumer avoided a direct answer on Sunday when he pushed multiple times whether or not to vote for the GOP fundraising bill if Republicans don’t negotiate. “I hope it doesn’t come,” he said.
Hakeem Jeffries, the leader of Schumer and House minority in New York, also wrote to Trump on Saturday urging him to meet with Democrats “to reach an agreement to keep the government open.”
Trump said he “loves” to meet Democrats late on Saturday in Congress, but added that he didn’t think “it would have any impact.”
Senate majority leader John Tune, Rs.D. claims that the upper rooms can pass the law to avoid closure without making concessions.
“Only a small number of Democrats are needed to ensure that they have an opportunity to continue funding the government openly and join Republicans and complete the spending process in the way they intended,” Thune said last week, according to the Associated Press.
The law requires 60 votes to pass, and with a majority like a razor of Republicans, some Democrats must vote with Republicans to clear that threshold.
Both rooms are scheduled during a break this week, putting pressure on lawmakers to trade on a tough timeline.
