White House emergency consultations: Trump plans to meet with congressional leaders to address the shutdown crisis

As the government shutdown crisis looms, Trump will meet with the four top leaders of Congress in an attempt to reach a budget agreement before the funding deadline on October 1.

On September 28, according to media reports, sources revealed that U.S. President Trump will meet on Monday (September 29) at the White House with the four major bipartisan leaders of Congress, including Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

This will be Trump's first formal consultation with Democratic leaders before the funding deadline. According to a previous article from Jianwen, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries were originally scheduled to meet with the president this week, but the White House canceled the arrangement at the last minute.

On September 27, Democratic leaders issued a joint statement expressing their determination to avoid a government shutdown and address the Republican healthcare crisis. However, Republicans insist they will not make concessions to pass a short-term funding bill, with significant differences remaining on key issues such as healthcare subsidies and Medicaid cuts.

Federal government funding will expire on September 30, and Congress must pass or extend a spending bill by October 1 to prevent a shutdown. The White House Office of Management and Budget has instructed agencies this week to prepare large-scale layoff plans, indicating that the risk of a government shutdown is rising.

Meeting Arrangement Highlights Urgency of Negotiations

Reports indicate that a White House official and four congressional officials confirmed this arrangement. The reports also noted that Trump's meeting with the four congressional leaders underscores the urgency of budget negotiations.

Previously, Trump abruptly canceled a planned meeting with Democratic leaders at the urging of House Speaker Johnson and Senate Majority Leader (Republican) Thune on Thursday, stating that the Democrats' demands were "not serious and ridiculous."

According to Schumer's aides, Schumer called Thune on Friday, "urging him to get Trump to agree to meet, as the deadline for a government shutdown is rapidly approaching." Senate Democrats also plan to hold a conference call on Sunday afternoon to prepare for their return to Washington.

Healthcare policy has become the core issue of the deadlock between the two parties.

Trump has made it clear that he will refuse to negotiate unless Democrats abandon their demands to extend healthcare subsidies and end Medicaid cuts. He stated last week, "I would love to meet with them, but I don't think it will have any impact."

Democrats emphasized in their joint statement their determination to avoid a government shutdown and "address the Republican healthcare crisis." Schumer and Jeffries repeatedly stressed the urgency of time, calling for a bipartisan spending agreement.

Republican leaders maintain their position that a short-term funding bill should not include additional policy provisionsThe threat of a government shutdown poses uncertainty for financial markets and economic activity. Millions of federal employees face the risk of unpaid leave, and government services may be disrupted, which will negatively impact consumer spending and economic confidence.

According to a report, if the federal government shuts down, hundreds of thousands of federal employees will face unpaid leave, and "non-essential" services such as national parks will close. Key economic data, such as the non-farm payroll report, may be delayed.

Trump previously predicted a high likelihood of a government shutdown, which has heightened market concerns about the political deadlock in Washington. Investors are closely watching the outcome of Monday's meeting for signs of whether the two parties can reach a compromise at the last moment.