Washington: United States President Donald Trump has met with Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer at the White House just hours ahead of the deadline for a government shutdown.
“We discussed all of the major outstanding issues. We made some progress, but we still have a good number of disagreements. The discussions will continue,” Schumer said.
“We had a long and detailed meeting,” Schumer further told reporters on his return to the US Capitol after the approximately 90-minute meeting.
The chiefs of staff for each man – John Kelly for Trump and Mike Lynch for Schumer – also attended the meeting, reported CNN.
The failure to reach a deal at the White House increases the likelihood of the first government shutdown since 2013.
Trump reportedly called the New York Democrat and invited him personally.
The White House announced in a statement that it would be holding a media briefing on Friday over the possible government shutdown, as legislators struggled to keep the United States government funded.
Marc Short, White House legislative affairs director, and Mick Mulvaney, head of the Office of Management and Budget, will conduct the briefing at around 10:30 am (local time).
Earlier, the US House of Representatives passed a Republican-led bill aimed at avoiding a government shutdown.
However, the fight to get the bill through Congress is not over yet. This legislation would likely be dead on arrival in the Senate, where Democrats have said they have enough votes to block the legislation.
The final vote was 230-197, with six Democrats voting for the measure and 11 Republicans voting against it.
If the bill ultimately becomes law, it would be the fourth temporary funding patch since September.(ANI)