Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer from New York revealed a growing disagreement between President Trump and Republican leaders in Congress. This discord revolves around the decision to use a temporary government funding bill to prevent a spike in health insurance premiums next year, which could happen due to the expiration of enhanced subsidies at the year’s end.

“The main discussion centered on health care. It became apparent that there is a divide, or at least a potential one, between the president and the two Republican leaders,” Schumer explained. He referred to Senate Majority Leader John Thune from South Dakota and Speaker Mike Johnson from Louisiana.

On Monday afternoon, Schumer, alongside Trump, Thune, Johnson, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries from New York, gathered at the White House to address government funding, which is scheduled to lapse at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday. In exchange for supporting measures to keep the government operational, Democrats are insisting on extending the enhanced health insurance subsidies and incorporating other health care provisions.

Schumer said the GOP leaders “wanted to kick the health care problem down the road.”

Schumer noted that Trump appeared empathetic towards the difficulties faced by average Americans who might encounter increased premiums and potentially lose health care access.

“There seemed to be genuine division because when we discussed health care concerns with the president and shared a story of a woman I met who was in tears as her daughter was losing health care—her daughter has cancer—he was not informed that so many Americans were facing significant hikes in their health care costs due to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) expiring in December,” Schumer explained, referring to Trump.

“He was not aware that the real effect of that starts Oct. 1, not Dec. 31,” Schumer added.

Thune disputed Schumer’s characterization of the meeting. 

“I think Schumer is trying hard to shift the narrative. I have no clue what he’s referring to. We’re all aligned,” Thune stated as he entered his office following a vote late on Monday afternoon.

Thune and Johnson have both said they aim to address the expiring health care premium tax credits later this year, but they are against attaching them to the funding stopgap that needs to pass by the Sept. 30 deadline.

Schumer said he and Jeffries emphasized both the impending expiration of health care subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the problem of pocket rescissions and impoundments, which they view as attempts to usurp congressional spending authority.

Schumer said he urged Trump to prevail on Republican leaders to add to the seven-week government funding stopgap measure language to extend the ACA subsidies and address pocket rescissions.  

“We told the president he can solve the problem by demanding of the legislative leaders, of Thune and of Johnson, that we start off with the ACA just take our provision on the ACA and put it in their bill,” he said of the House-passed continuing resolution.

“It’s in the president’s hands whether to avoid a shutdown or not. He has to convince the Republican leaders. Now we know why they didn’t want him to meet with us,” Schumer added.