WASHINGTON — With the clock ticking toward a possible government shutdown, President Donald Trump has reversed course and will host the four top congressional leaders at the White House on Monday afternoon in a dramatic, last-ditch attempt to avert crisis.
The move marks a sudden climbdown by Trump, who just days earlier canceled a planned session with Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer, accusing them of making “unserious and ridiculous demands.” Now, with only hours before federal agencies begin bracing for furloughs and service disruptions, Trump appears willing to bring everyone back to the table.
A Political Standoff
The stakes could hardly be higher. If no deal is reached, large portions of the federal government could grind to a halt as early as Wednesday morning. Federal workers have already been told to prepare for furloughs, while agencies brace for the political fallout.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a close Trump ally, confirmed on Sunday that Jeffries and Schumer had agreed to attend the Oval Office meeting, along with Senate Majority Leader John Thune. Johnson portrayed the gathering as Trump’s sincere effort to strike common ground.
“He wants to convince them to follow common sense and do what’s right by the American people,” Johnson told CNN.
But Schumer, speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, sounded wary. “If the president is just going to rant, yell at Democrats, and air grievances, we won’t get anything done,” he said. “We don’t want a shutdown. We want a serious negotiation.”
Healthcare at the Center
At the heart of the impasse lies a familiar political flashpoint: healthcare. Democrats have insisted that any short-term spending measure must extend subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, which are set to expire at the end of the year. Without action, they warn, premiums and out-of-pocket costs could spike for more than 20 million Americans.
“If we don’t extend these tax credits, millions will face higher costs in an economy where families are already struggling,” Jeffries said Sunday.
Republicans, however, argue that Democrats are hijacking the funding debate. Johnson dismissed the demand as premature. “The Obamacare subsidies have to be debated before year’s end, not in the middle of an urgent effort to simply keep government open,” he said.
A Shutdown Looms
Inside the White House, aides privately acknowledge that Trump may actually welcome a shutdown, calculating that he could use the disruption to cut what he calls “waste, fraud and abuse” from federal programs.
Robert Costa of CBS News reported Sunday that Trump told him a shutdown “looks likely at this point,” with both sides locked in a stalemate.
Still, the political risks are real. A shutdown would hand Democrats ammunition to argue that Trump is prioritizing political leverage over the livelihoods of ordinary Americans. Republicans, in turn, have accused Democrats of taking the government “hostage” by tying healthcare subsidies to a stopgap bill.
The Road Ahead
The House already passed a temporary measure earlier this month to fund the government for seven weeks, but it faces hurdles in the Senate, where at least eight Democrats must support it.
As Monday’s meeting approaches, both sides remain dug in — Democrats insisting on healthcare protections, Republicans demanding a “clean” extension. Whether Trump’s about-face signals a genuine willingness to compromise or just another round of political theater remains to be seen.
For now, Washington holds its breath. By Tuesday night, the world will know whether the U.S. government stays open — or plunges into yet another shutdown crisis.
