Schumer, Jeffries urge president to negotiate as government shutdown hits 21 days
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Top Democrats in Congress are seeking a meeting with President Donald Trump as the government shutdown continues.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (DY) said both he and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DY) reached out to Trump to arrange a meeting with the president on Tuesday.
The top Senate Democrat said the two had “urged” Trump to meet with them and were open to “setting up an appointment with him anytime, anywhere.”
SENATE DEMS STRENGTHENED BY WEEKEND MEETINGS BLOCKED GOP PLAN TO END SHUTDOWN FOR THE 11TH TIME
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, left, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries update reporters after meeting with President Donald Trump and Republican leaders about the government funding crisis at the Capitol in Washington, Sept. 29, 2025. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)
“Hakeem and I reached out to the President today and urged him to sit down and negotiate with us to solve the health crisis, address this problem, and end the Trump shutdown,” Schumer said. “He should sit down; things are getting worse every day for the American people. He should sit down with us, negotiate seriously before he leaves.”
Congressional Democrats, particularly Schumer and his Democratic caucus, have remained steadfast in their demands for an extension of expiring Obamacare subsidies. While Senate Republicans are open to a vote on the issue after the government reopens, Democrats want a firm guarantee that the subsidies will be extended well before they expire at the end of this year.
If Trump relents to his wishes, it would be the first meeting between the trio since Schumer, Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) met in the Oval Office the day before the shutdown began.
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Senate Majority Leader John Thune (Nathan Posner/Anatolia via Getty Images)
MPs left the meeting without reaching any agreement on preventing the 21-day closure.
Senate Democrats also blocked Thune and Republicans’ attempts to reopen the government 11 times. Another vote on the continuation resolution passed by the Parliament, which envisions the reopening of the government by November 21, is expected to be held on Wednesday.
And like many previous attempts, this latest effort is expected to fail.
Meanwhile, Senate Republicans met with Trump for lunch at the White House on Tuesday afternoon.
THUNE SLAMS SCHUMER’S ‘KINGMAKER’ POLICY, REFUSES TO ‘KISS THE RING’ IN CLOSING ARGUMENTS
President Donald Trump listens as Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks during lunch with Republican senators on the Rose Garden porch of the White House in Washington, Oct. 21, 2025. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)
Speaking to reporters later, Thune reiterated that Senate Republicans are united in their war of attrition strategy to keep introducing the same bill over and over again. He noted that Trump would likely agree to meet with Schumer and Jeffries, but only after Senate Democrats unlock the votes needed to reopen the government.
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“We have negotiated. I don’t know what there is to negotiate. It’s about opening up the government,” Thune said. “We offered them several ways out. Now, Democrats want something completely untenable. I mean, they want $1.5 trillion in new spending. They want free health care for non-citizens in this country. This is absolutely a non-starter. It’s not going to pass the Senate. It’s not going to pass the House. It’s not going to be signed into law by the president.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Jeffries and the White House for comment but did not immediately hear back.
