President Donald Trump‘s claim Monday afternoon that his administration is “speaking with Democrats” as part of negotiations to end the government shutdown quickly drew the ire of congressional Democratic leadership.
“We are speaking with the Democrats, and some very good things could happen with respect to healthcare,” Trump said Monday while speaking to reporters. “I’d like to see a deal made for great healthcare.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Monday refuted Trump’s statement, with both Schumer saying it “isn’t true.”
“Trump’s claim isn’t true — but if he’s finally ready to work with Democrats, we’ll be at the table,” Schumer said in a statement Monday. “For months, Democrats have been calling on Donald Trump and congressional Republicans to come to the table and work with us to deliver lower costs and better healthcare for the American people.”
“If President Trump and Republicans are finally ready to sit down and get something done on healthcare for American families, Democrats will be there — ready to make it happen,” he continued.
Jeffries leaned into this sentiment at a Tuesday afternoon press conference where he said he did not “know of any Democrats who have spoken to President Trump or members of his administration on this issue of reopening the government, enacting a bipartisan spending agreement, and addressing the Republican health care crisis.”
“House and Senate Democrats have consistently made clear that we will sit down with anyone, at any time, and at any place, whether here at the Capitol or over at the White House to reopen the government, to enact a bipartisan spending agreement that actually meets the needs of the American people,” Jeffries said.
The conflicting statements of ongoing negotiations between the White House and Democratic leadership come after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) decided to keep the House in recess for the third week in a row last Friday.
As Johnson kept Republicans at home, Jeffries told reporters he would bring House Democrats back to the Capitol to show they were ready to strike a deal to reopen the government. Democrats spent last week in Washington holding many press conferences and crowding the House floor to blame Republicans in power for the shutdown.
The federal government shut down last Wednesday after the Senate failed to pass a House GOP continuing resolution to fund the government through Nov. 21.
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The GOP short-term funding bill passed the House, but failed five times in the Senate to reach the 60-vote threshold. Democrats have also put forth their own plan to keep the government open through Oct. 31 that includes various pet projects that Republicans oppose, including permanently extending expiring Obamacare tax credits, rolling back Medicaid cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill, and restoring federal aid to NPR and PBS public radio and TV stations. The Senate has rejected that proposal five times as well.
Schumer wants to keep enough of his Democratic caucus in line to force Republicans to strike a deal that meets some of his healthcare demands. So far, only three Democrats have voted to break the filibuster to advance the GOP plan to fund the government.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) needs eight Democrats to flip to reach the 60-vote threshold, with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) voting against advancing the legislation.
