WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators are working through the weekend for the first time since the government shutdown began more than a month ago, hoping to find a bipartisan solution that has so far eluded them as government workers go unpaid, airlines are forced to cancel flights and SNAP benefits have been delayed for millions of Americans.
With the weekend session set to begin Saturday, it was unclear whether Republicans and Democrats could make progress on reopening the government and breaking the 39-day partisan impasse. Republicans on Friday rejected an offer from Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer to reopen the government and extend expiring health care subsidies for a year, with Thune calling it a “non-starter.”
Republicans have refused to work with Democrats, who are demanding that GOP leaders and President Donald Trump negotiate an extension of the Affordable Care Act’s tax credits, which expire at the end of the year. But Republican leaders have signaled openness to an emerging proposal from a miniature 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 talks among moderates, said Friday evening that Democrats “need a different path forward” after Republicans rejected Schumer’s offer. “We’re working on it,” she said.
The moderates continue to negotiate
With leaders of the two parties at odds, Shaheen’s miniature group of Democrats continued to negotiate among themselves and with some rank-and-file Republicans for a deal that would end the shutdown.
The group has been discussing for weeks a vote on a series of bills that would fund parts of the government — including food aid, veterans programs and the Legislature — and extend funding for everything else until December or January. The three annual spending bills that would likely be included are the result of bipartisan negotiations that continued during the shutdown.
But the contours of that agreement would come only with the promise of a future vote on health care, not a guarantee that Affordable Care Act subsidies would be extended through the end of the year. Many Democrats have said this is unacceptable.
Still, Republican leaders need just five additional votes to fund the government, and the group involved in the talks included between 10 and 12 Democratic senators.
As these Democrats spoke, Republicans hoped they could reach an agreement to end the shutdown and later negotiate a compromise on health care. Some Republicans have said they are open to extending COVID-19-era tax credits as premiums could skyrocket for millions of Americans, but they want to set novel limits on who can receive the subsidies.
“We’ve had really good conversations with a lot of Democrats,” South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds said.
Republicans are eyeing a novel legislative package
Trump urged Republicans at a White House breakfast on Wednesday to end the shutdown quickly and eliminate the filibuster, which requires 60 votes in the Senate for most legislation, so they can completely bypass Democrats.
“I am fully in favor of ending the filibuster and we would be back to work within 10 minutes of the vote,” Trump said Friday.
Republicans have firmly rejected Trump’s call, and Thune is instead eyeing a bipartisan package that mirrors the proposal that moderate Democrats have drawn up. But it’s unclear what Thune, who has refused to negotiate, would promise on health care.
The package would replace House-passed legislation that Democrats have rejected 14 times since the shutdown began. The current bill would only extend state funding through Nov. 21, a date that is swift approaching after six weeks of inaction.
An election for Democrats
If Thune decides to move forward, there could be a test vote on novel laws in the next few days.
Then Democrats would have to make a crucial decision: Do they continue to fight for a meaningful agreement to extend the subsidies that expire in January while prolonging the pain of the shutdown? Or will they vote to reopen the government and hope for the best while Republicans promise an eventual health care vote but no guaranteed outcome?
After a caucus meeting on Thursday, most Democrats indicated they would continue to wait 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, it’s very unlikely that the vote will be successful.”
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, said they needed to stand forceful after Democrats’ overwhelming victories on Election Day and demand an extension of subsidies rather than just a promised vote.
People “voted against Trumpism,” Sanders said. “And part of that vote was telling Democrats, ‘Hold on, don’t back down, don’t force us to pay double or triple for health care premiums.'”
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Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim, Kevin Freking, Joey Cappelletti, Stephen Groves and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.
