Democratic and Republican congressional leaders are heading to the White House for a meeting with President Donald Trump on Monday in a late effort to avoid a government shutdown, but both sides have shown hardly any willingness to budge from their entrenched positions.
If government funding legislation isn’t passed by Congress and signed by Trump on Tuesday night, many government offices across the nation will be temporarily shuttered and nonexempt federal employees will be furloughed, adding to the strain on workers and the nation’s economy.
Republicans are daring Democrats to vote against legislation that would keep government funding mostly at current levels, but Democrats have held firm. They’re using one of their few points of leverage to demand Congress take up legislation to extend health care benefits.
Trump has shown little interest in entertaining Democrats’ demands on health care.
The Latest:
Trump and Netanyahu to meet in Washington
Days after using a U.N. address to reject international demands for an end to the war in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will sit down with President Donald Trump.
But Monday’s scheduled meeting in Washington comes at a tenuous moment.
Israel is increasingly isolated after losing support from many countries that were long its steadfast allies. At home, Netanyahu’s governing coalition appears more fragile than ever.
And the White House is showing signs of impatience. The question now is whether Trump will step up pressure on Israel to wind down the long conflict.
Deal for new Trump Plaza in Saudi Arabia
A London-listed luxury real estate developer says it plans to launch a Trump Plaza in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah in the second collaboration with the Trump Organization, following the success of Trump Tower Jeddah.
Monday’s announcement by Dar Global said the $1 billion landmark development is to rise along King Abdulaziz Road in the heart of the city.
The company said the project is its second collaboration in Jeddah with The Trump Organization and plans to launch Trump Plaza Jeddah that represents the second Trump-branded development in Saudi Arabia, following the launch of Trump Tower Jeddah in December last year.
Federal government shutdowns are nothing new
Congress often finds itself at the brink of one as the two major political parties’ differences grow more intractable with each passing year. Democrats are threatening to vote against keeping the government open on Oct. 1.
Democratic leaders in Congress say they won’t budge unless Republicans immediately extend health care subsidies that expire at the end of the year, among other demands.
Republicans say they don’t want to add any complicated policies to keep the government open for the next seven weeks.
Time and time again, lawmakers hold out until just before the deadline and negotiate a last-minute compromise. But this time Democrats see some potential political advantages to a shutdown with their base voters spoiling for a fight.
History shows the tactic almost never works, and federal employees are caught in the middle. The White House has already laid out a plan to potentially lay off hundreds, if not thousands, of federal employees.
