Editor’s Note: Washington Week With The Atlantic is a partnership between NewsHour Productions, WETA, and The Atlantic airing every Friday on PBS stations nationwide. Check your local listings, watch full episodes here, or listen to the weekly podcast here.

Many Americans may soon lose crucial federal assistance, leaving some lawmakers asking whether it’s time for Donald Trump to begin negotiating with Democrats. Panelists on Washington Week With The Atlantic joined last night to discuss the mounting pressure to reopen the government, and when—or if—the president will get directly involved.

Trump tends to become “involved when there’s a need for him,” Seung Min Kim, a White House reporter at the Associated Press said last night. “That need is going to come when Republican leaders tell hi

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