Jeffries says he’s ‘hopeful’ a government shutdown can be avoided

But he and House Majority Leader Scalise disagree on how to do that.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Sunday he is "hopeful" a government shutdown can be avoided as Congress lurches toward its Tuesday deadline to reach a spending agreement.

Jeffries' comments come after President Donald Trump canceled a meeting last week with Jeffries and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer to hammer out a deal before saying Saturday he'd meet with the Democrats and Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday.

"Our view going into the meeting is that we want to find bipartisan common ground, to find a spending agreement that avoids a government shutdown and actually meets the needs of the American people in terms of their health, their safety, and their economic well-being," Jeffries told "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz.

One of the main points of contention between Democrats and Republicans has been the impending expiration of the Affordable Care Act's tax credits, which Democrats are fighting to extend.

"We know they don't expire till the end of the year, so why not approve this and just get seven more weeks to negotiate?" Raddatz asked.

"Well, because notices are going to go out in a matter of days and it's going to be a shock to the system of everyday Americans who are already struggling to get by," Jeffries said.

Responding to Jeffries later on "This Week," House Majority Leader Steve Scalise advocated for passing a short-term funding bill and continuing negotiations into the coming months.

"Let's let those talks continue till November with this short-term government funding bill that's in the Senate," Scalise said. "But it's the same levels of funding that the Senate voted for, Democrats included, back in March."

Scalise noted that he, like Jeffries, is hopeful that a shutdown can be avoided.

"I'm not only hopeful, I, Speaker Johnson, all my Republican colleagues voted to prevent a government shutdown, and we passed that bill to the Senate," Scalise said.

"There's still time for an agreement to be reached. I'm glad that President Trump is showing leadership and meeting with all leaders, Republican and Democrat, Monday in the White House," he added.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.