Schumer calls for meeting with Trump to 'sit down and negotiate' an end to the government shutdown

This Tuesday, Democratic congressional leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries requested a meeting with President Donald Trump, seeking an agreement to end the government shutdown, while their Senate caucus again rejected Republican efforts to resume federal operations.

Schumer, the Senate minority leader, explained that both communicated with the president to "sit down and negotiate" and "resolve the healthcare crisis." He further stated that both he and Jeffries are willing to meet "anytime, any place," acknowledging that the situation is "getting worse every day" for the country.

Dispute revolves around health care subsidies

Democrats have conditioned any budget deal on an early extension of the Obamacare subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year. Republicans, for their part, believe that point should be discussed after the government is reopened.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune reiterated after a lunch with Trump that the president is willing to engage in dialogue, but only as long as Democrats lift their legislative blockade. "We have offered them several off-ramps," said Thune, who called Democratic demands that include more than a trillion dollars in new spending "untenable."

"They want free healthcare for people who are noncitizens in this country. That is just a flat nonstarter. It doesn't pass the Senate. It won't pass the House. It won't be signed into law by the president," he emphasized.