Republicans are daring Democrats to vote against legislation that would keep government funding mostly at current levels, but Democrats so far have held firm. The Republican president has said repeatedly that he fully expects the government to enter a shutdown this week. They say that because Republicans control the White House and Congress, Americans will mostly blame them for any shutdown. It remains to be seen whether the White House meeting will help or hurt the chances for a resolution. Negotiations between Trump and Democratic congressional leaders have rarely gone well, and Trump has had little contact with the opposing party during his second term.