Top Democrats emerged from a White House assembly believing that President Donald Trump might finally lower a deal on their largest demand — even when it first requires shutting down the federal government to get it.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer mentioned Monday that Trump expressed openness to extending key enhanced Obamacare subsidies which can be set to expire on the finish of the yr, characterizing the president as keenly in averting sudden worth hikes for roughly 20 million enrollees.
“We laid out to the president some of the consequences of what’s happening in health care,” the New York Democrat mentioned following the Oval Office sit-down with Trump, including later that “it seemed from his body language and some of the things he said that he was not aware of the ramifications.”
The health care dialogue left Democrats feeling like there could be a gap amid what each Democratic and Republican leaders characterised as a assembly that introduced them no nearer to averting a shutdown early Wednesday, two Democratic sources aware of the assembly mentioned. One of these sources mentioned Trump appeared open to each a short-term deal in addition to one thing greater on health care.
The White House quickly clarified that any deal could solely come after Democrats agree to hold the federal government working.
“The president wants a clean CR and he wants to keep the government open,” a White House official mentioned of Trump’s posture in the assembly, referring to Republicans’ funding measure.
At one level, Trump recommended that Vice President JD Vance insert himself extra immediately into the Hill negotiations, the second supply aware of the assembly mentioned. At one other level, Schumer advised reporters after, Trump acknowledged he could take a number of the blame for a shutdown. NCS has requested the White House about these accounts.
And in the rapid aftermath of the assembly, Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries portrayed Trump’s curiosity as vindication of a hardline technique that has pushed Congress to the brink — and raised the chance that Democrats could face main political fallout for triggering an prolonged federal closure.
“We’re not going to support a partisan spending bill that continues to gut the health care of everyday Americans,” Jeffries mentioned.
Jeffries advised Democrats at a caucus assembly later Monday night that he was shocked by how a lot listening Trump had carried out on the White House gathering, a supply in the room advised NCS. That’s in half why some Democrats are feeling just like the president hadn’t been given the complete image on the Obamacare subsidies and health care, one other supply in the room advised NCS. “Jeffries seemed encouraged,” that supply added.
Still, the 2 sides stay very far aside on reaching any type of deal.
While Trump appeared prepared to negotiate with Democrats on the expiring subsidies, congressional Republican leaders have been way more skeptical throughout the personal assembly, the primary supply aware of the assembly mentioned. One Republican supply aware of the assembly disputed Schumer and Jeffries’ account, insisting that Trump was open solely to a broader dialog on health care. While the assembly was animated, there was no shouting and Trump was “calm” and “cool,” that supply mentioned.
In a assertion, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt criticized Democrats for having “chosen to pick a partisan fight and shut the government down as the clock is running out to score political points.”
The diverging takeaways from the assembly have solely left each side additional dug in — and sharply raised the percentages of a standoff that could shutter the federal government for days and drive hundreds of federal employees to go with out pay.
The White House, in an effort to drive Democrats to capitulate on their calls for, has additionally threatened mass firings throughout the federal government aimed toward completely whittling down the federal workforce.
But Democrats leaders, urged on by a stressed base keen to extra aggressively confront Trump, have supplied few indicators they plan to again off calls for for a sequence of concessions in alternate for the votes wanted to advance a stopgap funding measure. They’re betting that a shutdown over health care can energize the celebration and win over voters already anxious over the rising price of dwelling.
While that all-or-nothing strategy has raised worries even amongst rank-and-file Democrats concerning the political fallout if voters find yourself blaming them for shutdown, Schumer and Jeffries on Monday sought to mission complete dedication.
“It’s now in the president’s hands,” Schumer mentioned. “(Trump) can avoid a shutdown if he gets the Republican leaders to go along with what we want. And if they don’t, the American people are going to know.”