President Donald Trump has expressed skepticism about the potential for constructive talks with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries ahead of the looming government funding deadline. During a press conference, he announced that he would meet with the top congressional Democrats but warned that it would be a waste of time, as they have never approved anything before. With the Sept. 30 deadline to prevent a partial government shutdown approaching, Trump has remained unyielding in his stance, suggesting that Democrats are ‘crazy’ and incapable of making a deal. In response, Senate Minority Leader Schumer took to social media, calling Trump’s comments a ‘waste of leadership’ and criticizing him for lacking plans to reduce costs for hardworking Americans. Despite the political tensions, the Senate has advanced several spending bills to fund key government operations, but the process remains fraught with challenges as both parties attempt to navigate the complex landscape of appropriations.
Lawmakers in the House and Senate are currently away from Washington, D.C., in their respective districts and states, but the Sept. 30 deadline to prevent a partial government shutdown will be just a handful of weeks away when they return after Labor Day. There is a brewing tension between Republicans and Democrats over just how the looming government funding fight will shake out. While Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has made clear he wants to pass spending bills, and the Senate did indeed pass a trio of funding measures before leaving town, Congress will likely again turn to a short-term government funding extension, known as a continuing resolution (CR).
However, any CR must pass muster with Senate Democrats, given that the legislation has to pass through the upper chamber’s 60-vote threshold. Furthermore, congressional Democrats have a bitter taste left in their mouths after Republicans rammed through Trump’s $9 billion clawback package, which included deep cuts to NPR, PBS and foreign aid. They warned that any more attempts to claw back congressionally approved funding on a partisan basis could doom government funding negotiations. Ahead of the vote to pass three spending bills in the Senate, which included funding for military construction and Veterans Affairs, agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the legislative branch, congressional Democrats vowed that they would play ball – as long as the appropriations process was bipartisan.