Hakeem Jeffries rules out handshake deal with Republicans to avert shutdown

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) drew a clear line in the sand Wednesday on what a deal to stop a government shutdown must look like, telling reporters he will not accept any type of unwritten agreement.

Why it matters: It's the latest stumbling block in the tense and largely fruitless cross-party posturing over the need to extend federal funding past September.

• Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) had initially secured a meeting with President Trump earlier this week, but it was cancelled at the urging of Republican congressional leaders.
• Funding is set to run out at midnight on Sept. 30, at which point most federal agencies will shut down without a spending agreement from Congress.