Republican leaders in each chambers are holding the road and saying they aren’t ceding to Democratic calls for so as to move funding for the government, heightening the upcoming risk of a shutdown this week. It comes as congressional leaders put together to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday.
Republicans have maintained that Congress ought to move a “clean” funding invoice and never give in to Democratic calls for to lengthen enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies. They have squarely laid the blame for any shutdown on Democrats, who’re withholding votes to fund the government within the Senate in an try to get Republicans to the negotiating desk.
“It’s totally up to the Democrats. This is – the ball is in their court. There is a bill sitting at the desk in the Senate right now – we could pick it up today and pass it – that has been passed by the House, that will be signed in law by the president to keep the government open,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune stated Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise echoed Thune’s remarks on ABC’s “This Week.”
“So right now, it’s over in the Senate, and it’s on (Senate Minority Leader) Chuck Schumer and Democrats in the Senate to keep the government from shutting down. And I hope they’ll come to their senses and do that early next week,” Scalise stated.
Although Republicans management Capitol Hill and the White House, they want at least seven Democrats within the Senate to be part of them to move a spending bundle underneath the chamber’s guidelines. But Democratic leaders have continued to draw a tough line, saying these votes received’t come with no deal to lengthen the improved ACA subsidies.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries stated he hopes to keep away from a shutdown however argued that end result will depend on Republicans.
“Our position has been very clear: cancel the cuts, lower the costs, save healthcare,” Jeffries stated on ABC’s “This Week.”
The positions laid out by each events set the stage for a tense assembly at the White House on Monday. The assembly will convey collectively House Speaker Mike Johnson, Thune, Jeffries and Schumer.
Johnson wouldn’t say wether Trump is prepared to negotiate with Democratic management throughout Monday’s assembly.
“I’m not going to get in front of the President and tell you what he will do, but I talked with him, you know, a couple of times, even yesterday and I’m telling you where his head is. He wants to bring in the leaders, to come in and act like leaders and do the right thing for the American people,” Johnson instructed NCS’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union” on Sunday.
Senate Democrats are anticipated to maintain a convention name Sunday afternoon for the caucus to focus on technique forward of Tuesday’s government shutdown deadline, in accordance to a Democratic supply.
A possible shutdown would have an effect on tons of and hundreds of federal staff and considerably affect a number of federal companies just like the IRS and the US National Park Service.
Speaking on NCS’s “Inside Politics Sunday with Manu Raju,” Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democrat, stated,“It’s important for Democrats to use their leverage this time.”
“(Trump’s) been playing golf all weekend rather than having these negotiations (…) This is Donald Trump’s decision whether the government shuts down,” Moulton stated.
NCS’s Manu Raju contributed to this report.