Washington, Nov 8 (AP) Senate Majority Leader John Thune quickly swatted down a Democratic offer to reopen the government and extend expiring health care subsidies for a year, calling it a “nonstarter” as the partisan impasse over the shutdown continued into its 38th day.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer made the offer to reopen the government on Friday as Republicans have refused to negotiate on their demands to extend health care subsidies. It was a much narrowed version of a broad proposal Democrats laid out a month ago to make the health tax credits permanent and reverse Medicaid cuts that Republicans enacted earlier this year.
Schumer offered Republicans simultaneous votes to end the government shutdown and extend the expiring health care subsidies, along with a bipartisan committee to address Republican demands for changes to the Affordable Care Act.
“All Republicans have to do is say yes,” Schumer said.
But Republicans quickly said no, and Thune reiterated that they would not trade offers on health care until the government is reopened. “That's what we're going to negotiate once the government opens up,” Thune said after Schumer made his proposal on the floor.
Thune said he thinks the offer is an indication that Democrats are “feeling the heat." “I guess you could characterize that as progress,” he said. "But I just don't think it gets anywhere close to what we need to do here.” It was unclear what may happen next. Thune has suggested a weekend Senate session was possible. President Donald Trump called on the Senate to stay in town “until they have a Deal to end the Democrat Shutdown.” Despite the stalemate, lawmakers in both parties were feeling increased urgency to alleviate the growing crisis at airports, pay government workers and restore delayed food aid to millions of people. Thune pleaded with Democrats as he opened the Senate on Friday to “end these weeks of misery." Moderates continue to negotiate As leaders of the two parties disagreed, a small group of Democrats led by New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen continued to negotiate among themselves and with rank-and-file Republicans on a deal that would end the shutdown.
The group has been discussing for weeks a vote for a group 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.
Republicans eye new package of bills Trump urged Republicans at a White House breakfast on Wednesday to end the shutdown quickly and scrap the legislative filibuster, which requires 60 Senate votes for most legislation, so that they bypass Democrats altogether and fund the government.
“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 now rejected fourteen times. That bill would only extend government funding until Nov. 21, a date that is rapidly approaching after six weeks of inaction.
This report includes content sourced from Press Trust of India (PTI), edited for clarity and context.
