Trump to meet Democratic leaders Jeffries, Schumer to discuss government funding

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump will meet top Democratic leaders in Congress - Representative Hakeem Jeffries and Senator Chuck Schumer - on Sept 25 to discuss government funding amid a looming shutdown ahead of a Sept 30 funding deadline, a source familiar with the talks said on Sept 22.

Mr Schumer and Mr Jeffries had on Sept 20 demanded a meeting with the Republican president to avoid a government shutdown when funding ends.

In a letter addressed to Mr Trump, Mr Schumer and Mr Jeffries said on Sept 20 that Republican congressional leaders had repeatedly and publicly refused to engage in bipartisan negotiations to keep the government open at the direction of the president.

Healthcare is at the centre of the fight over funding, with Democrats seeking more money for subsidies under the Affordable Care Act and the restoration of funding cut from the Medicaid healthcare programme for lower-income Americans.

Republicans currently hold 53 seats in the Senate compared with the 47 held by Democrats, and have a 219-213 majority in the House. The Senate on Sept 19 rejected a short-term funding bill and then left town for a week-long break, increasing the odds of a shutdown. The effort fell short of the 60 votes needed to break a filibuster in the Senate.

Congress has struggled to pass spending legislation in recent years due to rising partisan tensions, repeatedly raising the threat of a shutdown that would leave government workers unpaid and a wide range of services disrupted.

The annual funding debate covers only about one-quarter of the federal government’s US$7 trillion (S$8.97 trillion) budget, which also includes mandatory programs such as Social Security and Medicare, as well as payments on the nation’s US$37.5 trillion debt. REUTERS