President Donald Trump plans to meet with congressional leaders on Tuesday to discuss funding the government for the next fiscal year, but did not appear optimistic about reaching a deal.
“Meeting with ‘Chuck and Nancy’ today about keeping government open and working,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Problem is they want illegal immigrants flooding into our Country unchecked, are weak on Crime and want to substantially RAISE Taxes. I don’t see a deal!”
The president will meet with House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer at the White House.
The leadership team faced the same problem the last time they met in September, when Trump effectively kicked the budget process to December so that Congress could focus on tax cuts and emergency spending for hurricane victims in Texas, Louisiana, and Puerto Rico.
Spending ends on December 8, but Congress is widely expected to kick the can further down the road until it hits the Christmas deadline — the only deadline that members of Congress actually take seriously anymore.
Democrats are toying with a shutdown, demanding the renewal of the Children’s Health Insurance Program and an amnesty deal for DREAMers. Republicans are not excited about including amnesty in their year-end spending deal but may cave to Democrat demands. No one actually expects a DREAMer deal in the budget spending bill.
It is unclear what Republicans want, other than to fund the government and increase military spending. Although Trump has repeatedly promised to build the wall, it is unclear whether funding for his project will be a deal-breaker in any budget agreement.
Earlier in the day, Trump will travel to Capitol Hill to meet with Republican senators, who are on the cusp of passing a tax cut bill, if anti-Trump senators like John McCain, Bob Corker, and Jeff Flake do not find a way to kill it.