Democrats slam Trump for nixing government shutdown meeting: ‘Always chickens out’

President Donald Trump canceled a meeting with congressional leaders ahead of the looming government shutdown, sparking outcries from elected Democrats and support from Republicans.

Two leading Democrats — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — were set to meet with Trump at the White House this week to hammer out a deal to keep the government funded past Sept. 30.

Trump announced the meeting was off in a lengthy Truth Social post Sept. 23.

“After reviewing the details of the unserious and ridiculous demands being made by the Minority Radical Left Democrats in return for their Votes to keep our thriving Country open,” he wrote, “I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive.”

He criticized what he described as Democratic efforts to secure tax-payer funding for health care for illegal immigrants and gender transition operations.

“To the Leaders of the Democrat Party, the ball is in your court,” Trump wrote. “I look forward to meeting with them if they get serious about the future of our Nation.”

The controversy stems from dueling spending plans put forward on the Hill.

Congressional Democrats, seeking to use their leverage, have pushed for a short-term funding bill with a laundry list of conditions, including a permanent extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies due to expire this year and a reversal of earlier Medicaid cuts, according to the New York Times. The plan would increase health spending by about $1 trillion.

Republicans, meanwhile, have advocated for a “clean” short-term funding bill, Politico reported.

For any funding bill to pass, it must receive at least some bipartisan support due to the GOP’s narrow majorities in both chambers.

Democrats’ response

Jeffries and Schumer, both of New York, wasted little time blasting Trump’s decision to walk away from the negotiating table.

“Trump Always Chickens Out,” Jeffries wrote on X. “Trump just cancelled a high stakes meeting in the Oval Office with myself and Leader Schumer. The extremists want to shut down the government because they are unwilling to address the Republican healthcare crisis that is devastating America.”

Schumer followed suit, writing on X, “When you’re finished ranting, we can sit down and discuss health care.”

A chorus of fellow Democrats piled on, making clear they would fault Trump if Congress misses the Sept. 30 funding deadline and the government shuts down.

“The priority must be cancelling the health care cuts and passing a bipartisan budget,” Virginia Rep. James Walkinshaw wrote on X. “Instead, Trump threw a tantrum & cancelled a planned meeting with Democratic leaders. If there’s a shutdown, it’s on him & Republicans.”

“Government funding runs out in just 7 days and millions of Americans are facing skyrocketing health care premiums because of tax credits expiring at the end of this year,” New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer wrote on X. “This is an avoidable crisis. We must put politics aside and work across the aisle to get this done.”

Republican rebuttal

Meanwhile, a slew of GOP lawmakers have moved to pin the blame for a shutdown on their Democratic colleagues, who they accused of making unreasonable, obstructionist demands.

“Last week, (House Republicans) voted to keep the government open and sent our clean, nonpartisan short-term government funding bill to the Senate,” House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote on X.

“Now,” he added, “Democrats are threatening to SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT unless their demands are met…”

South Carolina Rep. Russell Fry accused Democrats of “holding America hostage” and “threatening to shut down our government unless we hand over TRILLIONS for their radical, anti-American agenda.”

And Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar blamed the looming shutdown on Schumer “bowing to leftist pressure.”

“Let’s call it what it is,” he added, “the Schumer Shutdown.”

This story was originally published September 23, 2025 at 4:19 PM with the headline "Democrats slam Trump for nixing government shutdown meeting: ‘Always chickens out’."