Dem leaders scrap meeting with Trump after 'Chuck and Nancy' tweet

Nov. 28 (UPI) -- The Democrats' top leaders in Congress canceled a scheduled meeting with President Donald Trump on Tuesday afternoon over a post the president made on Twitter.

In a joint statement, Senate Democratic leader Charles Schumer and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said they didn't see a point in the scheduled meeting in view of Trump's tweet.

In the post, Trump said he didn't see an agreement happening.

"Meeting with 'Chuck and Nancy' today about keeping government open and working," the tweet read. "Problem is they want illegal immigrants flooding into our Country unchecked, are weak on Crime and want to substantially RAISE Taxes. I don't see a deal!"

Schumer and Pelosi were swift to jump on Trump's tweet in their response.

"Given that the president doesn't see a deal between Democrats and the White House, we believe the best path forward is to continue negotiating with our Republican counterparts in Congress instead," their statement said. "Rather than going to the White House for a show meeting that won't result in an agreement, we've asked Leader [Mitch] McConnell and Speaker [Paul] Ryan to meet this afternoon."

Pelosi and Schumer added they "don't have any time to waste" in addressing the issues on their agenda and would work with Republicans who are "interested in reaching bipartisan agreement."

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders called the Democrats' decision "disappointing."

"The president's invitation to the Democrat leaders still stands and he encourages them to put aside their pettiness, stop the political grandstanding, show up and get to work," she said. "These issues are too important."

Sanders said the meeting with Ryan and McConnell would still happen.

"If the Democrats believe the American people deserve action on these critical year-end issues as we do, they should attend," she said.

Congress returned this week from the holiday with a long to-do list -- including tax reform, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, and deadlines to reauthorize the National Security Agency's warrantless surveillance program and National Flood Insurance Program.

"If the president, who already said earlier this year that 'our country needs a good shutdown,' isn't interested in addressing the difficult year end agenda, we'll work with those Republicans who are, as we did in April," the top Democrats said.

"We look forward to continuing to work in good faith, as we have been for the last month, with our Republican colleagues in Congress to do just that."