Democrats Plan Trump Meeting This Week as Shutdown Looms

(Bloomberg) — Congressional Democrats plan to meet with President Donald Trump this week to discuss ways to keep the US government operating as an Oct. 1 shutdown deadline draws closer, according to two people familiar with the situation.

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The meeting is set for Thursday, one of the people said. A White House spokesperson declined to comment.

Trump has said he thinks a shutdown is likely but is willing to meet Democrats even if the meeting won’t yield an agreement.

Senate and House Democrats say they want to make pending cuts to federal health-care programs part of any negotiations and won’t go along with a simple temporary funding bill to keep the government open through Nov. 21, which cleared the Republican-led House last week but failed in the Senate.

On Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said they are still pushing for a “clean funding extension” without the add-ons Democrats have demanded.

A funding measure in the Senate would need the support of at least seven Democrats. The party’s leaders have proposed a $1.5 trillion alternative bill to keep the lights on through Oct. 31, but that measure also failed to get the 60 votes needed for passage.

The proposal would permanently extend Obamacare premium tax breaks for the middle class set to expire at the end of the year, reverse GOP cuts to Medicaid and impose new restrictions intended to block the Trump administration from refusing to spend money on programs like medical research that Congress had already appropriated.

Earlier: US Lurches Toward Shutdown as Senate Democrats Block GOP Stopgap

“People are getting notices that their health-care premiums are going up. People are losing health care. Do it now. There’s no reason not to do it now,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Friday when asked why not wait until later in the year to try to negotiate a health-care deal.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on CNN Monday that the Republican stopgap is a “dirty bill” because it allows health-care cuts to proceed and it is the duty of Democrats to try to lower rising costs.  It is all part of an effort by the party, after months of criticism from liberals and progressive groups, to get more aggressive in opposing the Trump administration.

“We have to continue to do more,” Jeffries said.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday that the administration wants “a simple, clean budget extension, a straightforward, responsible solution to keep the government open to Nov. 21.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, has said that he was open to discussing the Obamacare premiums, but a funding bill cannot be held “hostage” to a “colossal wish list.” He predicted that Democrats would  be blamed for any shutdown if they block a simple extension since the GOP had not put forth any partisan provisions.

“They can’t make that argument with a straight face,” Thune told reporters Friday.

–With assistance from Maeve Sheehey.

(Updates with Thursday meeting expectation in second paragraph.)

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