US government shutdown stretches as progressives reject Republicans’ healthcare promises | US federal government shutdown 2025
The US Senate will hold two more votes on Thursday as the federal government shutdown extends into its third week and leading progressives in Congress have rejected Republicans’ promises to discuss health care subsidies after funding the government.
The Senate will vote for the 10th time Thursday afternoon on the short-term Republican funding bill, which needs 60 votes and is expected to fail again. A second vote on Pentagon funding on Thursday could begin the process of fully funding military operations and, if passed, end military pay cuts. After the vote, senators are expected to leave Washington for the weekend, virtually guaranteeing that the shutdown will last at least through Monday.
Senate majority leader John Thune made his clearest offer yet to Democrats on Thursday morning. MSNBC If they agree to reopen the government, it will guarantee them votes to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies (a top demand from Democrats) to a fixed date. “At some point Democrats have to accept yes for the answer,” Thune said.
On Wednesday evening, progressive senator Bernie Sanders and representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez preemptively rejected such promise in a 90-minute hearing. CNN town hallThey insist that actual legislation must be enacted before they can act.
“I don’t accept loans. I don’t accept pinky promises. This isn’t the business I’m in,” Ocasio-Cortez told the audience. Asked if Trump’s promise would be enough, Sanders sarcastically replied: “Oh yes, without a doubt, because the president is a very honest man.”
The New York congressman and Vermont senator rejected any short-term fix, calling it an attempt to postpone political pain until after next year’s midterm elections. “We will not accept ACA premiums skyrocketing on the American people,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
Meanwhile, House speaker Mike Johnson kept the chamber out of session for four weeks after Republicans passed the funding bill; GOP leaders argued that returning to Washington would only relieve pressure on Senate Democrats. Johnson and Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries have been trading barbs for months, and now they’ve decided to spar on the issue C-spanbut no date has been set yet.
Thune said he would support extending health subsidies if it included reforms such as income caps, but would not commit to a one-year extension. cost is estimated It’s $35 billion a year and he admitted he couldn’t guarantee an outcome. He didn’t rule out the possibility that the shutdown could last more than a month until Thanksgiving: “Hopefully it won’t last until Thanksgiving,” he said.
This has left federal workers without pay for weeks, with no end in sight. At a CNN town hall, a worker with four children asked how he should feed his family. Another woman said her home was at risk because the shutdown blocked her government-backed loan.
Ocasio-Cortez remained steadfast and tried to reassure them: “My hope is that we are ready to resolve this as quickly as possible.”
