The deadline to pass appropriations bills and avert a shutdown is closing in , and this year both parties are digging in. At issue is Trump’s insistence on keeping the power to withhold congressionally appropriated funds — a cudgel he’s wielded against ideological opponents. Democrats are pressing to protect healthcare subsidies. But the most explosive fight now centers on anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-trans riders woven into the appropriations bills. The provisions have become so central that Trump canceled a key negotiating session on Tuesday.

On Tuesday morning, Trump took to Truth Social with a rambling post announcing he would refuse to negotiate unless Democrats “agree to the principles in this letter.” Those “principles” included a slate of anti-trans measures — from bans on transgender

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