White House: Trump Has Not Spoken Directly to Democrats on Shutdown

Press secretary says president has had no recent talks with lawmakers about government closure

Feb. 23, 2026 at 11:39am

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The White House press secretary stated that U.S. President Donald Trump has not had any direct conversations with Democratic lawmakers recently regarding the ongoing government shutdown.

Why it matters

The lack of direct communication between the president and congressional Democrats suggests a continued impasse in negotiations to end the partial government shutdown, which has lasted for several weeks and affected numerous federal agencies and services.

The details

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday that President Trump has not spoken directly with Democratic lawmakers about the government shutdown that has partially closed federal operations. The shutdown began in late January after Trump and Democrats failed to reach an agreement on funding for a border wall.

  • The government shutdown began in late January 2026.

The players

Donald Trump

The President of the United States.

Karoline Leavitt

The White House press secretary.

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What they’re saying

“U.S. President Donald Trump has had no direct talks with the Democratic lawmakers recently concerning a government shutdown”

— Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary

The takeaway

The lack of direct communication between the president and congressional Democrats suggests the two sides remain at an impasse in resolving the partial government shutdown, which has disrupted federal operations and services for several weeks.