WASHINGTON (AP) — Signs of a possible end to the government shutdown intensified Tuesday in behind-the-scenes talks, as the federal shutdown was on track to become the longest ever to disrupt the lives of millions of Americans.
Senators from both parties, Republicans and Democrats, are quietly negotiating the contours of a forthcoming deal. With a nod from their leadership, senators are looking for a way to reopen the government, restart the normal federal funding process and find a solution to the crisis of expiring health insurance subsidies that are driving up premium costs from coast to coast.
“Enough is enough,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, the South Dakota Republican, as he opened the deadlocked chamber.
On the 35th day of the federal shutdown, the record for longest time past midnight is broken. With SNAP benefits cut off for millions of Americans relying on federal food aid, hundreds of thousands of federal workers furloughed or working without pay and contracts delayed, many on and off Capitol Hill say it’s time for an end. Transport Minister Sean Duffy predicted there could be chaos in the skies next week as the shutdown drags on and air traffic controllers miss another paycheck. Unions are putting pressure on lawmakers to reopen the government.
Election day is considered a turning point
Tuesday’s election marks a turning point, with off-year gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey and New York’s mayoral race set to show voters’ attitudes, a moment of political assessment that many hope will turn the tide. Another test vote in the Senate failed Tuesday as Democrats rejected a preliminary state funding bill.
“We are not asking for anything radical,” said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. “Reducing people’s health care costs is the definition of common sense.”
Unlike the previous shutdown during President Donald Trump’s first term, when he fought Congress over funds to build the U.S.-Mexico border wall in 2018-19, the president was largely absent from this shutdown debate.
Trump threatens to stop SNAP food aid
But on Tuesday, Trump made a up-to-date threat, warning that he would cut off SNAP food aid unless Democrats agreed to reopen the government.
SNAP benefits “will only be given when the radical left Democrats open government, which they can easily do, and not before!” Trump said on social media. This appeared to contradict court orders releasing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program emergency funds.
His top spokeswoman, press secretary Karoline Leavitt, later said the government was continuing to disburse SNAP funds in accordance with court orders.
Since House Speaker Mike Johnson sent lawmakers home in September, most of the attention is on the Senate. There, the leadership has outsourced negotiations to a loose group of centrist dealmakers from both parties who are quietly working out a way to end the stalemate.
“We pray that today is that day,” Johnson, R-La., said as he held his daily trial on the empty side of the Capitol.
Outlines of a potential deal
At the heart of any endgame will be a series of agreements that would have to be honored not only by the Senate, but also by the House of Representatives and the White House, which is not at all certain in Washington, where Republicans have full control of the government.
First, senators from both parties, particularly influential members of the Appropriations Committee, are pushing to get the normal government funding process back on track.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, the chairwoman of the Senate Budget Committee, and Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, as well as several Democrats, including Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Chris Coons of Delaware, are working behind the scenes.
“The pace of the conversation has increased,” said Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., who was involved in the talks.
The goals include securing upcoming votes on a smaller package of bills that already have widespread bipartisan agreement to fund various aspects of government, such as agricultural programs and military construction projects on bases.
“I certainly believe this three-bill package is poised to do a lot of good for the American people,” said Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., who was also involved in discussions.
More difficultly, a significant number of senators also want a solution to the stalemate over funding for Affordable Care Act subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year.
The White House will not commit to health care until the government reopens
The White House says its position remains unchanged and that Democrats must vote to fund the government until health care talks can begin. White House officials are in close contact with Republican senators who have spoken quietly to key Senate Democrats, according to a senior White House official. The official was granted anonymity to discuss administration strategy.
Millions of Americans are shocked by skyrocketing insurance premium notices. The loss of federal subsidies in the form of tax credits is likely to mean that many people will no longer be able to obtain health insurance.
Republicans who control the House and Senate are reluctant to fund the health care program, also known as Obamacare. But Thune has promised Democrats a vote on their preferred proposal at some point as part of an agreement to reopen the government.
That’s not enough for some senators, who see the health care gridlock as part of their broader concerns about Trump’s direction for the country.
“Trump is a schoolyard bully,” Sen. Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, told The Independent in an editorial. “Anyone who thinks that capitulating to him will lead to better results and better cooperation in the future does not understand how a power-hungry demagogue operates.”
In addition, Democrats and some Republicans are also pushing for guardrails to prevent the Trump administration’s practice of unilaterally cutting funding for programs that Congress had already approved by law, as billionaire Elon Musk did at the Department of Government Efficiency earlier this year.
Because the Senate, split 53-47, has tried to advance the House-passed bill over the filibuster more than a dozen times, the measure is obsolete. It would have funded the government until November 21st.
Trump has demanded that senators operate the nuclear filibuster, the Senate rule that sets a 60-vote threshold for passing most legislation and preserves minority rights in the chamber. GOP senators have rejected that demand.
Both Thune and Johnson have acknowledged they will need a up-to-date fleeting measure. They have been eyeing a deal that would skip the Christmas period to avoid a crisis that often comes at the end of the year and instead work out a deal that would keep the government running until next year, probably January.
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Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Seung Min Kim and Matt Brown contributed to this story.
