Trump to meet top congressional leaders on Monday to discuss government funding ahead of shutdown deadline

Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with top Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress on Monday to discuss government funding as the September 30 deadline approaches to prevent a government shutdown, a White House official confirmed Saturday.

The meeting marks a significant step forward after Trump had previously canceled a planned session with House Democratic Leader Representative Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on the same issue.

Jeffries and Schumer issued a joint statement Saturday evening confirming the upcoming meeting and emphasized their commitment to avoiding a government shutdown, saying, “We are resolute in our determination to avoid a government shutdown.”

The federal government faces the risk of its 15th partial shutdown since 1981 due to a stalemate over discretionary funding for the new fiscal year, which accounts for roughly one-quarter of the $7 trillion federal budget.

On September 19, the Republican-led House of Representatives passed a stopgap funding bill to maintain government operations through November 21. However, the bill failed to secure enough votes in the Senate, where Republicans need a 60-vote supermajority to advance legislation.

Senate Democrats rejected the stopgap measure, demanding that any funding legislation reverse recent cuts to healthcare programs.

Currently, Republicans hold 53 seats in the Senate compared to 47 for Democrats, with a narrow majority of 219-213 in the House, underscoring the delicate balance of power as lawmakers attempt to reach a compromise.

The Monday meeting between President Trump and congressional leaders is seen as a critical opportunity to break the impasse and keep the government funded beyond the looming deadline.