Trump scraps meeting with Democrats, raising government shutdown risk

WASHINGTON, Sept 23 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday scrapped a meeting with top congressional Democratic leaders meant to discuss a path to avert a partial government shutdown beginning next week, saying he would only meet with them if they agree to some of his demands.

"I have decided that no meeting with their congressional Leaders could possibly be productive," Trump wrote in a post on his Truth social media site.

U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries earlier on Tuesday had said Trump had agreed to meet this week at the White House, before funding expires on September 30.

Schumer issued a statement saying that Democrats "are ready to work to avoid a shutdown," but said, "Trump would rather throw a tantrum than do his job." The Senate Democratic leader reiterated the need to address rising health care costs.

The Republican-led House of Representatives passed a stopgap funding bill last week to extend funding through November 21, but it failed in the Senate where Republicans hold 53 of the 100 seats.

Republicans blame Democrats for holding up the funding due to their opposition to the president, while Democrats argue healthcare issues need to be addressed in this funding bill.

This summer, while debating Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" extending tax cuts enacted into law during his first term in office -- largely benefiting the wealthy -- Democrats pushed unsuccessfully for an extension of a healthcare tax credit expiring at year's end.

That bill also contains tougher work requirements for beneficiaries of Medicaid, the federally-backed healthcare for low-income and disabled people.

Jeffries blasted Trump's reversal in a post on X.

"Donald Trump just canceled a high stakes meeting in the Oval Office with myself and Leader Schumer," Jeffries said. "The extremists want to shut down the government because they are unwilling to address the Republican healthcare crisis that is devastating America."

UNUSUAL POSITION FOR DEMOCRATS

Lawmakers are at odds over so-called discretionary funding, which accounts for just about one-quarter of the roughly $7 trillion federal budget.

In a long posting on Truth Social, Trump attacked Democrats, but said he would meet with the parties' leaders "if they get serious about the future of our Nation."

Without specifically laying out his conditions, Trump said, "All Congressional Democrats want to do is enact Radical Left Policies that nobody voted for — High Taxes, Open Borders, No Consequences for Violent Criminals, Men in Women’s Sports, Taxpayer funded “TRANSGENDER” surgery, and much more."

Democrats have largely embraced efforts to secure the U.S. border with Mexico, but have criticized Trump's unilateral tactics of targeting immigrants for deportation without due process. They also have criticized Trump's use of some states' National Guard troops to Democratic-controlled cities, ostensibly to reduce their crime rates.

Voting against bills to keep the government operating puts Democrats in an unusual position, as Schumer over the years has often chastised Republicans for voting against the sort of funding extensions known as continuing resolutions that the House passed last week.

The federal government has partially shut down 14 times since 1981, but it is unclear what operations would continue and what would close on October 1 if government funding runs out since the Office of Management and Budget has not made public agencies' current contingency plans.

Mandatory spending, such as on the Social Security and Medicare benefits would continue, as would interest payments on the federal government's $37.5 trillion in debt.