President Trump stated on Saturday that Democrats are struggling with the pressure of a government shutdown. This comes just days after he pointed to the shutdown as a contributing factor to Republicans’ loss in Tuesday’s elections.
According to Trump, “The reason Democrats are dog-dogging the government shutdown is because I’m deathly afraid that I, along with Republicans, are moving forward to end the filibuster!” he shared in a post.
He further added, “Regardless of whether we reach a deal or not, Republicans must ‘blow up’ the filibuster and push through numerous policy changes that have been long sought after, like voter ID, for instance. Only losers would disagree with this!”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune stated on Saturday, which marked the 39th day of the government shutdown, that the Senate will stay in session until a deal is reached to reopen the government. Republican leaders have previously voiced skepticism about Trump’s push for Republicans to utilize the “nuclear option” to override Senate rules that necessitate 60 votes for legislation to pass.
On Friday, Republicans swiftly turned down a Democratic proposal that aimed to extend health care subsidies for a year via a clean Continuing Resolution (CR). Thune mentioned that senators are anticipated to vote over the weekend to finalize the details of three bills included in the comprehensive spending package referred to as the “minibus.”
Senate Democrats, on Thursday, rejected a government reopening proposal that also included a stopgap funding bill along with three spending bills aimed at military construction, Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Agriculture.
This proposal, crafted by Senators Gary Peters, Jeanne Shaheen, and Angus King, offered Thune three out of the necessary eight Democratic votes to approve the House-passed CR and resume government operations.
Democrats continue to push for an extension of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits, which are set to expire at the end of the year. Republicans, including Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson, have stated they will engage in discussions only after the government is operational again, maintaining the ongoing standoff.
Earlier on Saturday, Trump directed Republicans to reallocate funds from insurance companies and provide direct payments to consumers.
He proposed, “I suggest we take those hundreds of billions currently going to money-siphoning insurance companies to prop up the inadequate health care offered by Obamacare and instead give it directly to Americans, enabling them to purchase better health care for themselves and have some left over.”
Continuing, he remarked, “In essence, we’re going to take from the big bad insurance companies and allocate to the people. For every dollar spent, we will eliminate Obamacare, which he described as perhaps the worst health insurance globally, but we still need to end the filibuster!”
