President Trump, Congressional Leaders Meet as Government Shutdown Deadline Nears

The clock is ticking in the race to avoid a government shutdown, with just two days left before the midnight deadline.

Today, President Trump is meeting with the top four congressional leaders from both parties, as Democrats press for negotiations on health care funding. They want to reverse recent cuts and extend subsidies set to expire at the end of the year.

House Republicans have already passed a short-term spending bill, but it needs Democratic support in the Senate. GOP lawmakers accuse Democrats of holding the government “hostage.”

Meanwhile, the White House has alerted federal agencies to prepare for mass layoffs, in addition to the furloughs that typically accompany a shutdown. In an interview with NBC News, President Trump said a lot of people would be cut permanently, though he added he would prefer to avoid a shutdown. Democrats dismissed the warnings as a scare tactic.

Federal workers now wait to see if they’ll be paid on time — and whether services for the public will be disrupted.