Trump to Lead Last-Minute Talks Monday to Avoid Government Shutdown, Warns of Mass Layoffs if It Happens

President Donald Trump and congressional leaders are heading into last-minute negotiations on Monday as Republicans and Democrats brace for a potential government shutdown that could begin at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.

The White House meeting will bring together House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. The talks follow weeks of partisan gridlock, with both sides trading blame over a short-term spending patch.

House Republicans narrowly passed a bill earlier this month to fund the government through late November while adding security funding for lawmakers and officials. Democrats blocked the measure in the Senate, demanding bipartisan negotiations that include healthcare funding provisions. Without an agreement, the government will partially shut down, forcing hundreds of thousands of federal workers into furloughs and halting a wide range of operations.

The Trump administration has gone further than previous shutdown preparations, instructing agencies to draw up lists of federal employees who could be permanently terminated. “We are going to cut a lot of the people that we’re able to cut on a permanent basis,” Trump told NBC News on Sunday, though he added, “[I’d] rather not do that.”

Republicans have framed the seven-week extension as a straightforward way to buy time for a longer-term funding deal. “The ball is in their court,” Thune said Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press, accusing Democrats of trying to “hijack” the bill with liberal priorities.

Democrats, however, say they will not agree to a GOP-written measure without concessions. They are pushing to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, restore Medicaid funding that was cut, and release previously approved federal spending frozen by Trump officials. “We want to find bipartisan common ground … that avoids a government shutdown and meets the needs of the American people,” Jeffries told ABC’s This Week.

Trump, meanwhile, has blamed Democrats for the impasse, calling their demands “crazy” and warning they will be responsible if the government shuts down. He initially signaled willingness to meet with Democratic leaders but abruptly canceled a planned sit-down last Thursday at the urging of Johnson and Thune.

By Saturday, however, the White House had reached out to reschedule Monday’s meeting. Schumer said he welcomed the talks but warned that if Trump simply used the meeting to “rant” and air grievances, “we won’t get anything done.”

With government funding set to expire on Sept. 30, both parties are bracing for at least a short shutdown. Johnson has already canceled House votes scheduled for early this week, leaving the Senate with no immediate alternative but to consider the Republican-backed extension.

A shutdown would disrupt paychecks for federal employees, delay some government services, and heighten political risks for both parties. While Social Security checks and mail delivery would continue, the administration’s threat of mass layoffs has raised the stakes further.

Democrats, however, dismissed that warning, arguing that the Trump administration has already overseen sweeping workforce reductions since January. “Senate Democrats have a lot of leverage right now,” said Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, noting that his constituents, many of whom are federal contractors, are urging Democrats to hold firm.