President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he would not meet with Democratic congressional leaders, citing what he described as “unserious and ridiculous” demands from the opposition party.
The planned meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York was intended to address the looming federal budget deadline, which expires on September 30. With time running short, lawmakers on both sides are negotiating the terms of a continuing resolution to keep the government funded and avert a potential shutdown.
“After reviewing the details of the demands being made by the Minority Radical Left Democrats in return for their votes to keep our country open, I have decided that no meeting with their congressional leaders could possibly be productive,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Historically, Congress has relied on stopgap measures, known as continuing resolutions, to maintain government operations when broader budget agreements cannot be reached. Failure to pass such legislation would trigger a government shutdown, halting non-essential federal services.
Republicans have proposed a seven-week continuing resolution that would maintain current spending levels without adding new programs. Democrats, by contrast, have countered with a four-week resolution containing a series of policy priorities, which the White House has described as part of an ambitious legislative wish list, according to Politico.
In his statement, Trump criticized the Democratic proposals as including more than $1 trillion in new spending. Among the items he highlighted were funding for healthcare access for undocumented immigrants, coverage of transgender healthcare for minors, continued enrollment of deceased individuals on Medicaid rolls, and the allocation of taxpayer funds toward programs affecting sports and gender policies. He also accused Democrats of seeking to eliminate a $50 billion fund for rural and vulnerable hospitals, legislation passed with Republican support and signed into law during his presidency.
“The Democrats in Congress seem to have totally lost their way,” Trump wrote. “They obviously have no idea what it means to put America First or to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. There are consequences to losing elections, but based on their letter to me, the Democrats haven’t figured that out yet.”
The cancellation underscores the ongoing stalemate over federal spending and highlights the challenges in reaching bipartisan consensus on the budget before the end of the fiscal year.
Trump further accused Democrats of promoting policies he characterized as “high taxes, open borders, no consequences for violent criminals, men in women’s sports, taxpayer-funded transgender surgeries, and much more.”
Despite his criticism, the former president left open the possibility of future negotiations, stating that another meeting could occur if Democrats “get serious about the future of our Nation.” He also downplayed the prospect of a government shutdown.
In the House, Republicans narrowly passed a seven-week funding extension on Friday, with a vote of 217-212. Two GOP lawmakers—Representatives Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Victoria Spartz of Indiana—voted against the measure, citing concerns over deficit spending. Democratic Representative Jared Golden of Maine crossed party lines to support the extension.
The package now faces significant obstacles in the Senate, where 60 votes are required for approval. With Republicans holding 53 seats, the House-passed plan would need at least seven Democratic votes to advance, assuming all Republican senators support the measure.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt maintained that responsibility for a potential shutdown would lie with congressional Democrats. “We want a clean funding extension to keep the government open, that’s all we’re advocating for,” she told reporters, according to Fox News.