Washington — President Trump mentioned Sunday {that a} authorities shutdown is probably going until high Democrats again down from their negotiating place.
“I simply do not know the way we’re going to resolve this subject,” Mr. Trump mentioned in a telephone interview with CBS Information.
Mr. Trump additionally expressed confidence that the American folks will facet with him if authorities funding expires within the coming days, and he believes Democrats can pay a political worth for not working with him, on his phrases, to additional minimize spending.
“They are not thinking about fraud, waste and abuse,” Mr. Trump mentioned of the Democrats.
Mr. Trump will meet Monday with congressional leaders forward of the Oct. 1 deadline for lawmakers to succeed in an settlement on a spending invoice that will avert a shutdown.
A supply near Mr. Trump instructed CBS Information that the president privately welcomes the prospect of a shutdown as a result of it is going to allow him to wield government energy to slash some authorities packages and salaries.
Final week, the White Home’s Workplace of Administration and Funds despatched a memo to federal companies telling them to arrange layoff plans if there’s a authorities shutdown.
The memo, obtained by CBS Information, tells companies to contemplate reduction-in-force notices — a federal time period for layoffs — for workers in packages, tasks or actions which have discretionary funding that stops on Oct. 1 or that do not have any different sources of funding. It additionally goes additional and says that staff ought to get RIF notices in the event that they’re in packages or tasks “not in line with the President’s priorities.”
Within the interview Sunday, Mr. Trump forged the Democrats’ present calls for — which in current weeks have centered on looking for to increase Inexpensive Care Act insurance coverage subsidies — as ill-advised.
As an alternative, Mr. Trump mentioned, if the Democrats need to talk about well being care, they need to work with him to forestall undocumented migrants from accessing public advantages.
“The Democrats, extremely, need to preserve their outdated insurance policies of open borders and we’re not going to have it. We’re not going to permit it,” Mr. Trump mentioned.
Any doable health-care negotiations, Mr. Trump added, should deal with immigration and border-related issues, in any other case, “It is simply not acceptable for us.”
Democrats have forcefully pushed again towards Mr. Trump’s characterization of their positions on each authorities funding and on immigration. And so they have repeatedly famous that people who find themselves within the U.S. illegally aren’t eligible to obtain Medicaid protection.
“Donald Trump is aware of, or a minimum of I believe he is aware of, that present federal legislation prohibits utilizing taxpayer {dollars} for undocumented immigrants in reference to their well being care. And nobody is attempting to alter or reverse that legislation,” Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries instructed MSNBC on Saturday. “What we’re doing is preventing to guard the healthcare of on a regular basis People within the midst of this Republican-caused disaster that’s devastating hospitals and nursing properties and community-based well being clinics.”
Mr. Trump is scheduled to fulfill Monday with Senate Majority Chief John Thune, Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer, Home Speaker Mike Johnson and Jeffries.
The assembly comes after the president canceled an preliminary assembly final week, citing the Democrats’ “unserious and ridiculous” calls for.
Earlier this month, the Home permitted a GOP-led persevering with decision to maintain the federal government funded till Nov. 21. However Democrats put ahead their very own proposal that will preserve the federal government funded till Oct. 31, together with implementing different priorities for the get together, together with their health-care request. Within the Senate, the place 60 votes are wanted to advance most laws, each the invoice handed by the Home Home-passed invoice to fund the federal government and the Democrats’ proposal fell brief.
The Democrats’ proposal included a everlasting extension of enhanced tax credit for People who buy medical insurance by way of the Inexpensive Care Act market, which Democrats have steered is a pink line for his or her help. The proposal would additionally roll again cuts to Medicaid in Mr. Trump’s “massive, lovely invoice” and restore funding for public broadcasters that was rescinded earlier this 12 months.
The Senate is returning to Washington on Monday after a weeklong recess, and may have little time to behave to avert a shutdown. Echoing Mr. Trump, Thune instructed NBC’s “Meet the Press” that it is “completely as much as the Democrats” whether or not the federal government shuts down, saying “there’s a invoice sitting on the desk within the Senate proper now” that the Home handed that will preserve the federal government open.
“This choice, in my judgment at this cut-off date, is as much as a handful of Democrats,” Thune mentioned. “We’d like eight Democrats to move it by way of the Senate.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, instructed “Face the Nation” Sunday that “Democrats are united in pushing” on the health-care subject, including that she’s glad the president has determined to fulfill with leaders in Congress.
“This is a chance for the nation due to one massive downside, and that’s that the Republicans have created a well being care disaster,” Klobuchar mentioned. “My constituents, People, are standing on a cliff proper now with these insurance coverage premium will increase which are upon them.”
contributed to this report.
