Senate Negotiations Continue Amidst Partial Government Shutdown

In Washington, Senate Majority Leader John Thune has proposed a deal to Democrats, offering them a vote solely focused on extending Obamacare subsidies in exchange for agreeing to discussions on government funding. As the partial government shutdown drags into its third week, Democrats have thus far declined Thune’s offer.

“At some point, Democrats have to accept the answer is ‘yes,'” Thune said during a Thursday appearance on MSNBC. He added, “Can we guarantee the results? No, we cannot guarantee that you will pass.”

Senate Democrats have blocked House-passed resolutions aimed at funding the government by November 21 on nine occasions. Interestingly, three Democratic-affiliated senators—Catherine Cortez Masto from Nevada, John Fetterman from Pennsylvania, and independent Angus King from Maine—did vote to conclude debate on the funding bill, but the majority of their party stood firm against it.

Democrats are pushing for several health policy concessions, such as repealing Medicaid reforms that Republicans have championed, and extending pandemic-related boosts to Obamacare tax credits that are set to phase out at the year’s end.

While Thune and other Republican leaders have indicated a willingness to discuss extending Obamacare subsidies, they have insisted that any such negotiations be kept distinct from those on government funding. They’ve also clarified their intention to include reforms when extending these subsidies.

Another contention lies in House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ push for the permanent extension of these subsidies. Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson is keeping the chamber active, hoping to motivate Senate Democrats to approve an urgent spending bill.

Since the shutdown began on October 1, there’s been a growing concern about its potential length. The longest shutdown on record lasted 35 days from late 2018 into January 2019. Thune shared his hope that the current impasse wouldn’t linger into Thanksgiving, warning, “That would be a huge cost to the American people, and obviously it would be a huge cost to federal employees.”