US Senate Minority Leader Schumer: House speaker ensured shutdown by sending members home.

US Senate Minority Leader Schumer: House speaker ensured shutdown by sending members home.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has accused House Speaker Mike Johnson of putting the government at risk of a shutdown by sending members home, according to a statement released by the Senate Democrats press office . The current federal funding authorization expires at midnight on September 30, and if Congress doesn't pass a continuing resolution (CR) by then, many government offices will temporarily shut down and non-exempt federal employees will be furloughed.

Schumer's statement comes as Democrats and Republicans are locked in negotiations to avoid a shutdown. Democrats have proposed bills that would include healthcare subsidies, Medicaid protections, and funding for certain social programs, while Republicans have pushed for a "clean" CR with minimal policy riders. Despite the talks, both sides remain entrenched in their positions, with neither willing to budge.

The House passed a stopgap to extend funding through November 21, but the Senate rejected it due to Democratic opposition over the lack of healthcare or Affordable Care Act subsidy provisions. Senate Democrats are pushing for an extension to Affordable Care Act tax credits, which are set to expire at the end of the year, while some Republicans are open to extending the credits but want changes.

The meeting between Trump and congressional leaders at the White House on Monday afternoon did not yield immediate results, with Schumer reporting that significant differences remained. The White House meeting is seen as a first step, but negotiations have rarely gone well between Trump and Democratic congressional leaders.

Schumer argued that the White House coming back to reschedule a meeting for Monday showed that "they felt the heat." However, it remains to be seen whether the meeting will help or hurt the chances for a resolution. Any legislation to fund the government will need support from at least 60 senators, meaning at least eight Democrats would have to vote for the short-term funding bill, as Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky is expected to vote against it.

The potential shutdown has put pressure on the economy and workers, with the Trump administration warning that federal employees could be permanently laid off in the midst of a funding lapse. The meeting is a last-ditch effort to avoid a shutdown, but both sides have shown little willingness to budge from their entrenched positions.