US President Donald Trump and Democratic opponents appeared to make little progress at a meeting held at the White House aimed at averting a shutdown of federal government services that could cause problems across a wide range of agencies as early as Wednesday. “I think we’re headed for a shutdown,” said U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance.
The two sides exited the meeting blaming each other in the event that Congress fails to extend the government’s funding that expires at midnight Tuesday (7:00 a.m. Wednesday morning, local time).
Democrats say any deal to extend that deadline must also preserve health benefits that are about to expire, while Trump’s Republicans insist that funding for health care and government should be treated as separate issues.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the two sides “have very big differences.”
If Congress does not take action, thousands of federal government workers could be put on temporary leave, from NASA to national parks, and a wide range of services would be disrupted. Federal courts might have to be shut down, and small business grants could be delayed.
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