US Government Shutdown Looms as Trump Meets Congressional Leaders in Last-Ditch Negotiations

President Donald Trump is meeting with key congressional leaders at the White House on Monday in a final attempt to resolve stalled spending negotiations before a potential US government shutdown looms.

Without congressional approval of a funding bill by Tuesday midnight, the federal government will face a partial shutdown, creating a new political crisis in Washington.

A government shutdown would halt non-essential operations, leave hundreds of thousands of federal employees temporarily unpaid, and disrupt critical social safety net benefits.

Such shutdowns consistently prove unpopular among Americans, with both political parties typically working to avoid them while attempting to shift blame to their opponents if one occurs.

With just 36 hours remaining before the deadline, both sides appear entrenched in their positions, increasing shutdown concerns. The White House has escalated tensions by threatening to terminate numerous civil service workers rather than following the usual practice of delaying pay until an agreement is reached.

Republicans have proposed extending current funding until late November while negotiating a longer-term spending plan.

Democrats, with limited power and facing Trump's dismantling of government departments, are attempting to leverage this rare opportunity. They seek restoration of hundreds of billions in healthcare funding, particularly for the Obamacare program serving low-income households, which the Trump administration plans to eliminate through its "Big, Beautiful" budget bill passed in July.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News on Sunday that Trump was "open to discussion" and "wants to operate in good faith" ahead of the high-stakes White House meeting with Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer.

Schumer, the Senate minority leader, described the meeting as a first step, telling NBC News on Sunday that "serious negotiation" was needed.

Jeffries expressed hope to ABC News about finding "common ground" with Republicans on funding that "actually meets the needs of the American people in terms of their health, their safety, and their economic well-being."

Despite Republicans holding narrow majorities in both congressional chambers, Senate rules require 60 votes to pass a budget bill, meaning seven Democrats must support the Republican extension.

The White House appears unwilling to compromise with the opposition, with Trump blaming Democrats for the tense standoff. "Democrats are crazed, they don't know what they're doing," he told reporters last week.

The threat to fire rather than furlough civil servants has further intensified the situation, with Jeffries responding: "We will not be intimidated."

Congress regularly faces deadlines for spending plan agreements. In March, with a shutdown threat already present, Republicans refused dialogue with Democrats regarding massive budget cuts and thousands of potential federal employee layoffs.

At that time, ten Senate Democrats, including Schumer, reluctantly supported the Republican stop-gap measure to prevent a shutdown. Their decision angered the party base, which now urges Democratic leadership to take a firmer stand against Trump.