President Trump on Tuesday canceled a meeting with Democratic congressional leaders aimed at preventing a government shutdown, saying their demands were ridiculous and that no meeting could be productive.

The decision, unless it is reversed, means Trump will not meet with Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Thursday, and greatly increases the chance of a shutdown on Oct. 1.

“After reviewing the det...

Read More

Finding a deal this week to avoid a government shutdown will come down to a negotiation between President Trump and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), whose relationship is so bitter that lawmakers in both parties see little chance of an agreement.

Trump is scheduled to meet with Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) this week on how to avoid the looming shutdown, a White House official told The Hill on Monday.

While Jeffries is an...

Read More

Congress is cruising at a steady clip toward a government shutdown at the end of the month, with both parties — and both chambers — pointing fingers at the other while refusing to blink. 

Lawmakers from both chambers are in their home states this week after the House passed a GOP-crafted government funding bill that was swiftly rejected by the Senate, along with a competing proposal to keep the government open. Senators aren’t expected to return until Sept. 29 and Hous...

Read More

Congress is moving head-first toward a government shutdown after the Senate voted down a pair of stopgap spending bills, including a “clean” one proposed by the GOP to keep the lights on for seven weeks while appropriators hammer out a longer-term deal. 

Lawmakers will be out of town for the next week before returning on the eve of the deadline, raising questions about whether there’s any chance they can avoid a shutdown when they return.

Here are five things to w...

Read More

Republican and Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill say Washington is headed for a government shutdown next week unless President Trump intervenes to cut a deal with Democrats.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has said repeatedly he does not want to sit down with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) to negotiate a deal to keep the government open past Sept. 30, repeatedly telling reporters he wants the stopgap funding measure to move by “regular order.”

Read More

Four lawmakers bucked their party in Friday's votes on a Republican stopgap bill to fund the government, which passed the House but was blocked by Democrats in the Senate.

House Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) were the only GOP no votes in the House, while Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) was the sole Democrat who supported the bill.

In the upper chamber, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Penn.) was the only senator who crossed party lines, voting in su...

Read More