Top two Republicans in Congress challenge Democrats to attend Trump meeting

The top two Republicans in the U.S. Congress said if leading Democrats want to reach an agreement with Republicans on a must-pass government funding bill, they need to attend a planned meet with President Donald Trump later on Tuesday.

"We have important work to do, and Democratic leaders have continually found new excuses not to meet with the administration to discuss these issues," House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a joint statement.

The statement came after Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said they would not attend a planned meeting with Trump at the White House after the president said he did not think he could reach a deal with them.

(Reporting by Katanga Johnson; Editing by Tim Ahmann)