Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) asked to meet with their counterparts, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), to discuss government funding.
With government funding set to expire Sept. 30, the House and Senate are bracing for a shutdown. The Democratic leaders highlighted the effect on healthcare coverage if a solution isn’t agreed to.
“As Leaders of the House and Senate, you have the responsibility to govern for all Americans and work on a bipartisan basis to avert a painful, unnecessary shutdown at the end of September. Yet it is clear that the Trump administration and many within your party are preparing to ‘go it alone’ and continue to legislate on a solely Republican basis,” Schumer and Jeffries wrote in the letter first obtained by Punchbowl News.
“Therefore, we request you swiftly convene a so-called Four Corners meeting this week, for the four of us to discuss the government funding deadline and the health care crisis you have visited upon the American people,” the letter continued.
Schumer and Jeffries said they are willing to work with Republicans in a bipartisan manner, highlighting bipartisan support for funding for the Departments of Agriculture and Veterans Affairs.
President Donald Trump has not signed any of the annual funding bills for fiscal 2026 into law. Lawmakers in Congress expect to again pass a continuing resolution or stopgap to fund the government through the year.
Democratic lawmakers have told Republicans, who hold a narrow majority in both chambers, that if they agree to help them fund the government, they would not work to pass another rescissions bill, which recently defunded previously appropriated funds.
TRUMP TARIFF LETTERS: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE NEW TRADE DEALS, RATES, AND ‘LIBERATION DAY’ PAUSE
Schumer attempted to make a deal with Trump and Republicans to advance some of Trump’s judicial nominations in exchange for restoring funding, but the deal fell through.
Thune has not said if he is ready to negotiate with Democratic lawmakers to keep the government open, saying he will see what happens in the coming weeks.