Senate Democratic Leader Pushes for “Serious Negotiation” to Avert Government Shutdown After White House Meeting Confirmed
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) expressed cautious optimism about an upcoming meeting with President Donald Trump and congressional leaders, characterizing the talks as a necessary, yet preliminary, step toward resolving key legislative impasses.
Appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press with Kristen Welker this morning, Schumer discussed the newly scheduled White House meeting set for Monday at 2:00 p.m. involving the President and the four congressional leaders.
Schumer claimed that the push for the meeting came from Democrats. “We Democrats have been pushing for a meeting and a real negotiation, which they haven’t done,” he stated. He described calling Senate Republican Leader John Thune to initiate the sit-down, stressing the need for the President and Speaker Johnson to be included.
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“And Saturday evening we got a call from the White House that they would do it Monday at 2:00 p.m. So we’re delighted. It’s a good first step, Kristen,” Schumer said.
When asked if the government could remain open or if a shutdown was inevitable, Schumer placed the onus on Republicans and the tone of the forthcoming negotiation.
“The meeting is a first step, but only a first step,” Schumer reiterated. “We need a serious negotiation.”
He warned that progress would be impossible if the President were to use the meeting to “rant, and just yell at Democrats, and talk about all his alleged grievances.” However, he concluded with hope: “But my hope is it’ll be a serious negotiation… So if they’re serious, I’m hopeful we can get something real done.”
Schumer cited his own experience as a former Majority Leader, where he negotiated successfully with the minority party by accepting a compromise where “neither side got everything it wanted.”
The meeting comes as Washington faces mounting pressure to resolve outstanding issues, with Monday’s highly-anticipated talks viewed as a critical test of whether the leaders can forge a bipartisan path forward.
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