T-Minus Two Days
Finally, there are face-to-face talks. The top four congressional leaders will meet with President Donald Trump at the White House today, as time ticks down ahead of an Oct. 1 shutdown deadline.
Don’t expect much, however. Both sides have strong reasons to stick to their guns. Democrats want to frame the next election around rising costs, particularly for health care. Republicans are equally eager to show Democrats as poor stewards of the government and the economy.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) and his House counterpart, Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.), were expected to meet with the president last week but the White House canceled at the last minute.
On Friday, Trump shrugged off a shutdown, but made sure to apportion blame: “These people are crazy, the Democrats, so if it has to shut down, it’ll have to shut down,” he told reporters as he left the White House to attend the Ryder Cup. “But they’re the ones that are shutting down.”
The Sunday talk shows were full of finger-pointing. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said Democrats should “release the hostage” and “keep the government open, and then let’s have a conversation about those premium tax credits.”
Schumer said the meeting came about because he called Thune on Friday asking for a sitdown. The question, he said, remains: “Are they serious about negotiating with us in a real way?”
For more news on the shutdown and its impacts, read our BGOV Budget and Congress Tracker newsletters and see below.
Today in Washington
- Trump is expected to meet with Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.
- While everyone is waiting on CR action, the Senate will vote to confirm Mike Waltz to be US representative to the UN General Assembly. There’s also a procedural vote on a measure that allows the government to avoid shutdowns if spending bills aren’t passed in time.
- It’s the final day of the UN General Assembly’s General Debate.
- We’ll hear from several Fed speakers, including the presidents of the New York, St. Louis, and Atlanta Fed, as we await September job numbers at the end of the week.
- Speaking of the Fed, we’re still awaiting action from the Supreme Court on Trump’s effort to fire Lisa Cook. And Trump has asked the court to weigh in on his birthright citizenship rollbacks.
How Well Do You Know Washington? — Shutdown Edition
Less than two full days remain in fiscal 2025, and lawmakers still don’t have a deal to fund the government for fiscal 2026. In the past two decades, appropriations brinkmanship led to government shutdowns how many times?
A) Two
B) Three
C) Five
D) Seven
Scroll down for the answer.
Shutdown Stories
Here’s What Happens When the US Government Shuts Down
US government shutdowns have
Capitol Hill Staffers Worry Over Missed Pay, Shutdown Impacts
Capitol Hill staffers are anxiously girding for a possible government shutdown this week that threatens to reduce their offices’ manpower, multiply their workloads and halt their pay.
Trump’s Threat of Mass Firings Risks Lasting Shutdown Damage
The Trump administration’s threat to fire federal employees rather than furlough them in a
National Guard Troops Deployed to DC Would Go Unpaid in Shutdown
National Guard troops deployed to Washington, DC for President
BLS Would Delay Next US Jobs Report Based on Prior Shutdown Plan
The September jobs report, set for release next Friday, will be delayed in the event of a federal government shutdown if the Department of Labor adheres to an operational contingency plan spelled out earlier this year.
US Capitol Tours to be Paused if Government Shuts Down Next Week
Visitors planning a trip to the US Capitol will need to change their plans if lawmakers fail to reach a deal to keep the government open before the beginning of next week.
BGOV OnPoint: Clash Over ACA Subsidies Drives Shutdown Threat
Washington is careening toward a government shutdown on Oct. 1, with lawmakers far apart on whether to extend Covid-era boosts to Affordable Care Act subsidies.
Did You Ace The Quiz?
Give yourself a star if you picked Option B — Three. As legislative analysts Greg Tourial and Karl Evers-Hillstrom explain in a BGOV OnPoint, the federal government shut down in fiscal 2014, 2018, and 2019.
See Also: How Looming US Government Shutdowns Became Routine: QuickTake
Before You Go
NYC Mayor: Eric Adams dropped his bid for re-election as NYC mayor. Adams has consistently polled last in the 4-way contest, and his exit likely has little impact.
Portland Troops: Trump is deploying the national guard to Portland, Oregon — the fourth time that the administration has sent troops to a US city. The governor says the move is unnecessary. Oregon filed suit.
Military Meetup: Trump plans to join Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s meeting of top military officers tomorrow, casting the unusual gathering as just a pep talk. “You know the expression ‘esprit de corps’? That’s all it’s about,” Trump told NBC.
Iran Sanctions: The US and European powers urged Iran to return to the negotiation table and comply with nuclear inspectors, renewing efforts to engage in diplomacy with the Islamic Republic after United Nations sanctions snapped back into place.
White Men: Corporate boards in the US have never been more diverse. Those same boards are now hiring White guys at the fastest clip in almost a decade.
DOJ Leaders: At least a third of senior career leaders have left the Justice Department since Trump’s return to the White House, depleting the agency of centuries of combined expertise.
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