Trump to meet with top congressional leaders at White House as government shutdown looms

President Donald Trump has scheduled a Monday meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate leaders, including Democrats, to discuss averting a government shutdown.

President Donald Trump plans to meet with congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle on Monday as a possible government shutdown looms, a White House official confirmed to Fox News Digital.  (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)

Schumer and Jeffries will now meet with Trump, along with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. 

Schumer and Jeffries put out a joint statement on Saturday on the rescheduled meeting. 

"President Trump has once again agreed to a meeting in the Oval Office," the statement said. "As we have repeatedly said, Democrats will meet anywhere, at any time and with anyone to negotiate a bipartisan spending agreement that meets the needs of the American people. We are resolute in our determination to avoid a government shutdown and address the Republican healthcare crisis. Time is running out."

The Senate is expected to return on Sept. 29 following the Jewish new year, and the House is expected to be out until the deadline to keep the government funded passes.

In a lengthy post on Truth Social last week, Trump blasted Schumer and Jeffries for pushing "radical Left policies that nobody voted for." 

House Speaker Mike Johnson will also be at the Monday meeting with President Trump and Democratic congressional leaders.  (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

TOP HOUSE DEM EXPOSES PARTY'S STRATEGY TO BLAME REPUBLICANS FOR LOOMING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

"With the September 30th deadline fast approaching, Republicans will bear responsibility for another painful government shutdown because of the refusal of GOP congressional leadership to even talk with Democrats," they wrote at the time.

But Trump argued that their bill would allow for the nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts in his "Big, Beautiful Bill" to be repealed, and also blasted the Democratic continuing resolution (CR) for ending his bill's $50 billion rural hospital fund. 

"We must keep the Government open, and legislate like true Patriots rather than hold American Citizens hostage, knowing that they want our now thriving Country closed," he said. 

Sen. Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks with reporters near his office on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Sept. 18. He will also be at Monday's meeting with fellow congressional leaders and President Trump.  (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

"I’ll be happy to meet with them if they agree to the Principles in this Letter," Trump continued. "They must do their job! Otherwise, it will just be another long and brutal slog through their radicalized quicksand. To the Leaders of the Democrat Party, the ball is in your court. I look forward to meeting with you when you become realistic about the things that our Country stands for. DO THE RIGHT THING!"

Without any action, a shutdown would start at 12:01 a.m. ET on Wednesday.

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Johnson said last week that he had encouraged Trump to cancel the meeting last Thursday. 

"He and I talked about it at length yesterday and the day before. I said, look, when they get their job done, once they do the basic governing work of keeping the government open, as president, then you can have a meeting with him," Johnson said on the "Mike & McCarty Show." "Of course, it might be productive at that point, but right now, this is just a waste of his time."

Fox News' Alex Miller and Elizabeth Elkind and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-meet-top-congressional-leaders-white-house-government-shutdown-looms