Government Shutdown Continues as Negotiations Persist
During a press conference on Saturday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, confirmed that senators would remain in session until a solution is found to reopen the government. This announcement comes as the shutdown stretches into its 39th day, with meaningful progress still elusive.
When asked if senators would stay in Washington until an agreement is finalized, Thune responded positively. The Senate was initially expected to take a break around Veterans Day, but those plans have changed.
Thune’s remarks came during an atypical Saturday session, following a shift in negotiations that took place on Friday.
On that day, Democrats proposed extending enhanced health care subsidies for a year, which are set to expire at the end of December. They also suggested a clean continuing resolution and a set of three spending bills known as the “minibus.”
However, Republicans swiftly turned down the proposal, and a bipartisan group of lawmakers continued to discuss it throughout the night. Thune stated that the immediate goal was to finalize the contents of the minibus, expressing hope for a vote over the weekend.
He remarked that overnight bipartisan talks had been “positive.”
“The real question is whether we can get everything prepared,” Thune noted, mentioning he was in talks with appropriators regarding the minibus details. “We’re getting close to finalizing it. Ideally, we’d love to vote on it today, but getting it passed requires a vote.”
He further indicated that there are no final deadlines, other than the necessity for the document to be made public before hoping for sufficient votes.
Republican leaders have also refrained from announcing a timeline for the proposed short-term continuing resolution. Senator Markwayne Mullin, a Republican from Oklahoma, suggested that consensus points to an end date around January 30.
Before Democrats moved forward with their tax credit extension plan, negotiators had been focusing on the elements of the broader deal, which included a new continuing resolution, the minibus, and the vote on the tax credit extension bill. Thune emphasized he could assure Democrats of a fair “process,” but not guarantee the “outcome,” particularly in relation to passing the tax credit extension.
