Pelosi, Schumer Say Trump Has Asked for New Meeting

The duo nicknamed "Chuck and Nancy" in disparaging tweets by President Trump has agreed to meet Trump and other Republican leaders to discuss a spending deal Thursday—the day before the deadline for a possible government shutdown. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer pulled out of a meeting last week after Trump tweeted that he didn't see any chance of a deal. "We're glad the White House has reached out and asked for a second meeting," Pelosi and Schumer said in a statement, per CNN. "We hope the President will go into this meeting with an open mind, rather than deciding that an agreement can't be reached beforehand."

Pelosi and Schumer said they need to reach a deal that includes funding for community health centers, disaster relief, and the Children's Health Insurance Program as well as boosting military spending, the Guardian reports. "We must also come together on a bipartisan deal to pass the DREAM Act along with tough border security measures," they said. "There is a bipartisan path forward on all of these items." After they pulled out of last week's meeting, Trump, sitting between two empty chairs, slammed them as "all talk" and "no action." The current temporary spending bill expires at midnight Friday and Republicans are likely to need Democratic help to pass a replacement, though Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says a shutdown "is just not going to happen." (More spending bill stories.)