Schumer has been trying to claw back power. But he’ll never recover from this.
Because Chuck Schumer was left out to dry for one hilarious reason.
Trump Rejects Democrats’ Demands as Shutdown Looms
With the September 30 deadline to fund the government rapidly approaching, President Donald Trump abruptly canceled a planned meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, citing their “unserious and ridiculous demands.”
In a Truth Social post, Trump slammed the Democrats’ push for “radical Left policies that nobody voted for,” declaring, “I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive.”
He insisted he’d meet only if they align with his principles, urging them to “DO THE RIGHT THING!” This move highlights the deepening divide as lawmakers scramble to avoid a partial government shutdown.
Schumer and Jeffries, who had sought the meeting to avert a crisis, accused Trump and Republicans of risking a shutdown with a “dirty” funding bill laden with partisan riders.
Their letter over the weekend criticized the GOP’s short-term extension for continuing “the Republican assault on healthcare” by ignoring expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies, potentially threatening hospitals nationwide.
“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.
Trump countered that their proposal would gut nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts from his “big, beautiful bill” and eliminate a $50 billion rural hospital fund, arguing, “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.”
Political Maneuvering Intensifies Amid Recess
As Congress observes Rosh Hashanah, with the Senate returning September 29 and the House out until after the deadline, political posturing is in full swing.
House Speaker Mike Johnson sent lawmakers home to pressure the Senate into passing his chamber’s spending bill, which includes millions for enhanced lawmaker security following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Democrats, however, are making a show of returning to Washington on Monday for an evening caucus meeting, with Jeffries calling Trump’s cancellation “unhinged” and unrelated to the spending bill.
Schumer similarly warned, “Donald Trump will own the shutdown,” accusing him of “running away from the negotiating table before he even gets there” and prioritizing “a tantrum” over addressing rising costs and healthcare challenges.
The Democrats’ counter-proposal, which failed last week, sought to repeal Trump’s healthcare cuts, restore funding for NPR and PBS, and permanently extend ACA credits, alongside additional security funding.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune pushed back, noting that continuing resolutions (CRs) “aren’t places to load big health policy changes in.”
While open to discussing ACA premium tax credits, he insisted, “This is the place to fund the government, to allow our appropriations process to continue that issue.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the GOP’s “clean” funding extension, arguing a shutdown “would be the fault of the Democrats.”
Echoes of Past Shutdowns Fuel Tensions
The specter of the 2018 government shutdown, the longest in history at 35 days, looms large. That standoff, driven by disagreements over Trump’s border wall funding, saw Schumer and then-Rep. Nancy Pelosi at odds with the president.
Now, with Schumer and Jeffries demanding a meeting with Johnson and Thune—who needs Democratic votes in the Senate—no progress has been made. Thune rebuffed Schumer’s claims of GOP stonewalling, saying it’s on Democrats to initiate talks.
Meanwhile, the Democrats’ joint statement emphasized, “After weeks of Republican stonewalling in Congress, President Trump has agreed to meet this week in the Oval Office,” highlighting the urgency of addressing “rising costs, including the Republican healthcare crisis.”
