Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer at the US Capitol on September 19, 2025. Francis Chung/Politico/AP

Still locked out of power in Washington, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and his party are seizing on a fresh battle with President Donald Trump : A high-stakes gamble over this month’s government funding deadline.

With a shutdown on the line, Schumer and other top Democrats in Congress are vowing to play hardball against Trump. One of the party’s biggest demands: They want Republican leaders to commit to billions of dollars in enhanced Obamacare subsidies that would otherwise expire at the end of the year.

“Donald Trump would rather shut down the government than even talk to Democrats about lowering the cost of health care for Americans,” Schumer told reporters on Friday.

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