New Delhi, Sept. 29 -- With less than 24 hours before federal funding runs out, President Donald Trump will meet with congressional leaders at the White House on Monday (September 29) in a last-ditch effort to avoid a government shutdown.

The discussions will mark the first formal meeting between Trump and congressional leaders ahead of the October 1 deadline. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries had been scheduled to meet Trump last week, but the meeting was cancelled at the last minute.

This time, Schumer and Jeffries will join Senate Republican leaders, including Majority Leader John Thune, in face-to-face talks with the president.

At the center of the standoff is a short-term spending bil...