Washington [US], September 24: President Donald Trump will meet with Democratic leaders in Congress this week about a spending bill, and the Supreme Court has handed Mr. Trump a temporary victory.
USA Today newspaper yesterday quoted a well-informed source revealing that the White House owner on September 25 is expected to sit down with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to discuss a short-term government spending bill.
Mr. Trump met with the leaders of the Democratic Party's two houses
Although not confirmed by the White House, the meeting is seen as an opportunity for the White House and the Democrats to resume dialogue after weeks of stalemate, when both sides continuously criticized each other without finding common ground on this issue. The deadline to close the government is September 30, and Mr. Schumer and Mr. Jeffries have repeatedly asked Republican leaders to sit down at the negotiating table.
Specifically, the Republican Party introduced a bill that allows the government to operate until November 21, and provides an additional $88 million to ensure security for lawmakers, Supreme Court justices and the executive branch. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party's proposal only provides operating budget until October 31 and includes spending on security, health care priorities as well as provisions to reverse some of Mr. Trump's policies.
Last weekend, Mr. Schumer and Mr. Jeffries sent a letter requesting a meeting with President Trump to find a solution, after the two bills failed to pass the Senate on September 19. The next day, President Trump said he was willing to meet with Democratic leaders in Congress, but the leader did not think the meeting would bring positive results. However, last night (Vietnam time), President Trump announced that he would cancel the meeting with Democratic leaders in both houses of Congress on the spending bill, instead forcing them to give in to Republican demands, according to Reuters.
"We will continue to talk to the Democrats , but I believe there may be a government shutdown for a while," CBS News quoted Mr. Trump as saying.
Trump's temporary victory at the Supreme Court
Also yesterday (Vietnam time), the US Supreme Court announced that it will accept a lawsuit to determine whether President Trump has the right to remove members of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) without a specific reason, according to NBC News. The FTC is an independent agency of the federal government, responsible for protecting American consumers and maintaining fair competition in the market.
In a brief statement, the Supreme Court also granted Mr Trump temporary leave to fire FTC commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter while the case is pending. The court will hold a hearing in December. The case revolves around a 1914 law that allows the US president to remove an FTC commissioner only for just cause, such as incompetence or misconduct. Attorney General Pam Bondi called it a "major victory" that would protect the president's power.
In another development, on the same day, Mr. Trump signed an executive order putting the left-wing movement Antifa (a term for left-wing groups) on the list of "domestic terrorist organizations," according to AFP citing an announcement from the White House.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
