Schumer drops counter-offer to reopen government
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Senate Democrats have laid out their alternative to Republicans’ government reopening plan that would extend Obamacare credits for another year, and they’re asking Republicans to just say “yes.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (DY) announced the plan in dramatic fashion against the backdrop of the Senate Democratic caucus on Friday afternoon, seeking to show a tangible version of the newfound unity among Democrats since the Election Night sweep earlier this week.
“It’s clear we need to try something different,” Schumer said after 14 failed votes on the House-passed continuing resolution (CR). He proposed adding a one-year extension to expiring Obamacare subsidies and creating a bipartisan committee that could further negotiate on how to deal with subsidies after the government reopens; This was a clear signal of the GOP’s stance that negotiations would not occur until the government reopened.
THUNE SAYS ‘THE WHEELS ARE OFF’ AS REPUBLICANS CONSIDER THE NEXT SHUTDOWN MOVEMENT
Senate Democrats have considered proposals from Republicans on a path out of the government shutdown but have yet to reach a final decision as the shutdown heads into record-breaking territory. (Tom Brenner/Getty Images)
“Democrats are ready to pave the way to quickly pass a government funding bill that includes health care affordability,” Schumer said. “Leader Thune needs to add a clean one-year extension to the contract. [Obamacare] We provide tax credits to CR so that we can immediately offset rising health care costs. This is not a negotiation. “This is an extension of existing law, something we’ve always done here.”
“The ball is now in the Republicans’ court,” he continued. “We just need Republicans to say ‘yes’.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R.S.D. and it remains to be seen whether Senate Republicans will accept the proposal. Republicans are expected to meet Friday afternoon and Democrats are expected to discuss the olive branch.
Originally, Thune had planned to hold a vote to change the House-passed plan and include a triple spending bill in a package known as a minibus to jump-start the government’s financing process.
But that plan was scrapped Friday morning after Thune charged that ongoing bipartisan discussions with Senate Democrats over the minibus and a path forward had “taken off the wheels.”
It also comes after Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., filed a motion to take up legislation that would ensure federal workers and the military are paid during this shutdown and that future shutdowns would go through a fast-track process known as unanimous consent, which does not require a full Senate vote.
‘COOLING IRONY’: DEMOCRATS RISK BETRAYING THEIR OWN PROBLEMS WITH COMBINATION OF GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R.S.D. and the Senate is leaving Washington, D.C., for the weekend as Republicans try to woo more Democrats to support their plans to reopen the government. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
But Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., blocked the bill — despite being amended to include furloughed federal employees in the mix — over concerns that it still gave President Donald Trump too much power to pick and choose “which federal employees to pay and when.”
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The move led Thune to question why Peters and Senate Democrats more broadly would object to the bill, given that the shutdown would solve a major pain point. He said lawmakers will vote on the bill on Friday.
“In other words, we’re going to hold federal employees hostage,” Thune said of Peters’ objection.
“Isn’t it about leverage, that’s what you’re saying,” he continued.
