Democratic leader Schumer deal to end government shutdown
Senate Top Democrat Chuck Schumer presented a new plan to Republican lawmakers on Friday that would allow the U.S. government to reopen after the shutdown that began Oct. 1.
Schumer’s proposal calls on Democrats to pass a so-called clean bill that would provide short-term funding for government operations.
In response, the New York lawmaker said Republicans would agree to a separate one-year extension of existing enhanced tax credits used to reduce the cost of health insurance purchased through Affordable Care Act marketplaces.
The other part of the agreement calls for the formation of a bipartisan committee to continue negotiations on long-term reforms to address health care affordability.
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks at a press conference following the weekly policy luncheon more than a month after the ongoing U.S. government shutdown on Capitol Hill on November 4, 2025 in Washington, DC, USA.
Annabelle Gordon | Reuters
Schumer’s proposal rolls back Democrats’ long-standing demand that the short-term funding decision include an extension of enhanced ACA subsidies that expire at the end of December.
This demand prevented the Republican House bill from reaching the 60 votes it needed to pass in the Senate. The GOP has 53 seats in the Senate. There are 45 Democratic senators and two independents who caucus with them.
“Democrats have said we need to find solutions to the health care crisis, but Republicans have said repeatedly that they won’t negotiate to lower health care costs until the government reopens,” Schumer said on the Senate floor Friday afternoon. he said.
“So let’s find a way to honor both positions,” the minority leader said.
“So we want to introduce a simple proposal that would reopen the government and simultaneously expand the ACA premium tax credits and then have the opportunity to begin negotiating long-term solutions for health care costs,” Schumer said.
A White House official told CNBC: “Democrats are making it clear that they are holding the American people hostage for other spending. This is a huge decline from their original position and shows that they are under huge domestic pressure.”
The office said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DY) “has indicated that he would never agree to something like this, so this is a sharp break from House Democrats.”
“Ultimately, Democrats should reopen the government today and the Administration will meet with them on the tax credit and work with them on that,” the official said.
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