Washington: The government shutdown stretched into its 40th day Sunday, even as senators held a weekend session in hopes of finding an end to the impasse that has disrupted flights across the country, threatened food aid for millions of Americans and left federal workers without pay.
The Senate showed some signs of progress over the weekend that could be key to the shutdown fight. Republican leaders hope to vote on legislation to reopen the government in January while also approving year-round funding for several parts of the government. The necessary democratic support for this effort was far from guaranteed.
“We’re just a handful of votes” away from passing legislation to reopen the government, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, RS.D., said Saturday.
Democratic leaders are pushing hard to expand subsidies for health plans offered in the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace. Republicans rejected the offer, but indicated openness to an emerging proposal by a small group of moderate Democrats to end the shutdown in exchange for a later vote on “Obamacare” subsidies that make coverage more affordable.
For those enrolled in the health exchanges under the law, premiums are expected to more than double on average next year if Congress allows the increased subsidies to end.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who is a Democrat, said promising to hold a vote on the subsidy extension would be a “futile gesture” unless you “have a commitment from the Speaker of the House to support it and to have it signed by the President of the United States.”
President Donald Trump has made it clear that he is unlikely to compromise anytime soon. On Sunday, he again urged Republicans to repeal Senate rules that prevent the chamber from advancing most legislation unless it gets the support of 60 senators. “Be a Smart Party,” he said in a post on social media.
Moderates continue to negotiate
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, DN.H. and others discussed bills that would pay for parts of the government — including food aid, veterans programs and the legislative branch — and extend funding for everything else until December or January. The deal would only come with the promise of a future vote on health care.
It was unclear whether enough Democrats would support such a plan. Even with the deal, it seems unlikely that Trump would support expanding health benefits. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he would not commit to a vote on health care.
Senate Republican leaders need just five more votes to fund the government, and the group involved in the talks ranged from 10 to 12 Democratic senators.
Some Republicans have said they are open to extending the COVID-19-era tax credits because premiums could skyrocket for millions of people, but they want new limits on who can get subsidies. They lined up on the Senate floor Saturday to argue that subsidies for the plans should be channeled through individuals.
“We’re going to replace this broken system with something that’s actually better for consumers,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
“WORST HEALTHCARE AT THE HIGHEST PRICE,” Trump called it in a Sunday post.
Republicans are eyeing a new package of laws
Trump wants Republicans to quickly end the shutdown and scrap the filibuster so they can bypass Democrats entirely. Vice President JD Vance, a former senator from Ohio, said Republicans who want to keep the filibuster are “wrong.”
But Republicans rejected Trump’s call, and Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that the filibuster makes “the Senate the only place in our government where both parties have to talk. That’s a good thing for America.”
Thune is looking at a bipartisan package that mirrors the proposal outlined by moderate Democrats. What Thune, who refused to negotiate, might have promised about health care is unknown.
The package would replace House-passed legislation that Democrats have rejected 14 times since the Oct. 1 shutdown began. The current bill would only extend government funding until November 21.
A test vote on the new legislation could come in the coming days if Thune decides to move forward.
Then Democrats would have a crucial choice: Continue fighting for a meaningful deal to extend subsidies that expire in January while prolonging the pain of the shutdown? Or vote to reopen the government and hope for the best, as Republicans promise an eventual vote on health care, but not a guaranteed outcome.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer says Republicans should accept a one-year subsidy extension before negotiating the future of tax relief.
“Doing nothing is abandoned because people will go bankrupt, people will lose insurance, people will get sicker,” Schumer said in a speech on Saturday. “That’s what will happen if this Congress doesn’t act.”
