WASHINGTON — Senators are working through the weekend for the first time since the government shutdown began more than a month ago, hoping to find bipartisan resolution that has so far eluded them as government workers have gone unpaid, airlines have been forced to cancel flights and SNAP benefits have been delayed for millions of Americans.
As the weekend session was set to begin Saturday, it was unclear if Republicans and Democrats could make any headway toward reopening the government and breaking a partisan impasse that has now lasted 39 days. Republicans on Friday rejected an offer from Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to reopen the government and extend expiring health care subsidies for a year, with Thune calling it a “nonstarter.”
Republicans have refused to engage with Democrats who are demanding that GOP leaders and President Donald Trump negotiate an extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits that expire at the end of the year. But GOP leaders have signaled an openness to an emerging proposal from a small group of moderate Democrats to reopen the government in exchange for a vote on health care at a later date.
New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who is leading the talks among moderates, said Friday evening that Democrats “need another path forward” after Republicans rejected Schumer’s offer. “We’re working on it,” she said.
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Moderates continue to negotiate
As leaders of the two parties disagreed, the small group of Democrats led by Shaheen continued to negotiate among themselves and with some rank-and-file Republicans on a deal that would end the shutdown.
The group has been discussing for weeks a vote for a series of bills that would pay for parts of government — food aid, veterans programs and the legislative branch, among other things — and extend funding for everything else until December or January. The three annual spending bills that would likely be included are the product of bipartisan negotiations that have continued through the shutdown.
But the contours of that agreement would only come with the promise of a future health care vote, rather than a guarantee that Affordable Care Act subsidies are extended by the end of the year. Many Democrats have said that’s unacceptable.
Still, Republican leaders only need five additional votes to fund the government, and the group involved in the talks has ranged from 10 to 12 Democratic senators.
As those Democrats talked, Republicans held out hope that they could make a deal to end the shutdown and later negotiate a health care compromise. Some Republicans have said they are open to extending the COVID-19-era tax credits as premiums could skyrocket for millions of Americans, but they want to set new limits on who can receive the subsidies.
“We have had really good discussions with a lot of the Democrats,” said South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds.
Republicans eye new package of bills
Trump urged Republicans at a White House breakfast Wednesday to end the shutdown quickly and scrap the legislative filibuster, which requires 60 Senate votes for most legislation, so they can bypass Democrats altogether.
“I am totally in favor of terminating the filibuster, and we would be back to work within 10 minutes after that vote took place,” Trump said Friday.
Republicans have emphatically rejected Trump’s call, and Thune has instead been eyeing a bipartisan package that mirrors the proposal the moderate Democrats have been sketching out. But it unclear what Thune, who has refused to negotiate, would promise on health care.
The package would replace the House-passed legislation that the Democrats have rejected 14 times since the shutdown began. The current bill would only extend government funding until Nov. 21, a date that is rapidly approaching after six weeks of inaction.
A choice for Democrats
A test vote on new legislation could come in the next few days if Thune decides to move forward.
Then Democrats would have a crucial choice to make: Do they keep fighting for a meaningful deal on extending the subsidies that expire in January, while prolonging the pain of the shutdown? Or do they vote to reopen the government and hope for the best as Republicans promise an eventual health care vote, but not a guaranteed outcome?
After a caucus meeting Thursday, most Democrats suggested they would continue to hold out for Trump and Republican leaders to agree to negotiations.
Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said Democrats are “obviously not unanimous” but “without something on health care, the vote is very unlikely to succeed.”
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an Independent who caucuses with the Democrats, said they need to stand strong after overwhelming wins for Democrats on Election Day and demand an extension of the subsidies rather than just a promised vote.
People “cast their vote against Trumpism,” Sanders said. “And part of that vote was to say to Democrats, ’Hold tight, do not cave in, do not force us to pay double or triple for the health care premiums.’”
