Trump to meet with Democratic leaders over government shutdown

For all the latest developments in Congress, follow WTOP Capitol Hill correspondent Mitchell Miller at Today on the Hill .

Congressional Republicans and Democrats are in a government shutdown showdown that has shown no sign of compromise ahead of a deadline next week.

But President Donald Trump has now agreed to meet with two top Democrats — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — before the Sept. 30 deadline.

The president’s decision to meet with them was first reported on Monday by Punchbowl News. Schumer and Jeffries over the weekend had requested a meeting with the president in an effort to avert a shutdown.

“At your direction, Republican congressional leaders have repeatedly and publicly refused to engage in bipartisan negotiations to kee