Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says a bipartisan funding deal remains possible but warned President Donald Trump against disrupting negotiations before talks even begin.
Appearing on Meet the Press, Schumer claimed he’d already reached out to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, urging serious negotiations with Congress and the president. He insisted the upcoming White House meeting must not devolve into a rant by Trump, warning that personal grievances could sabotage progress.
Schumer also reaffirmed Democratic demands: extending Affordable Care Act subsidies and reversing GOP Medicaid reforms. He pledged to reject any deal that fails to address those priorities, even as a government shutdown looms.
Trump previously canceled a meeting with Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, calling the Democrats’ demands “unserious and ridiculous.” But with the October 1 deadline approaching, the president has agreed to a rescheduled summit among the top four congressional leaders.
Republicans reject attaching policy riders to the funding deal, maintaining that healthcare revisions should be handled separately. The standoff hinges on whether the parties can compromise before the shutdown deadline—and whether Trump resists turning the meeting into a spectacle.
