US govt to reopen after 40-day shutdown? Senate nears potential shutdown deal but there’s no guarantee of success
The group, which includes three former governors — New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan and Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine — reached an agreement to pass the three-year spending bill and extend the rest of the government funding through the end of January, according to three people familiar with the deal who asked to remain anonymous until the deal is made public.
The agreement was far from final. It was unclear whether Republicans would sign it or whether there would be enough Democrats to support it without their central demand for a 40-day shutdown, an extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits that expires Jan. 1. Senate Democrats were meeting Sunday evening to discuss the deal.
Republicans are working with the moderate group as the shutdown disrupts flights across the country, threatening food aid to millions of Americans and leaving federal workers without pay. But many Democrats warned their colleagues not to give up, arguing they couldn’t end the fight without an agreement to increase health subsidies.
“It would be a terrible mistake to bow to Trump now,” Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who caucuses with Democrats, said as he entered the convention on Sunday.
As the Senate holds a rare session on Sunday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the potential deal is “coming together.” But he has yet to publicly confirm the deal. “We’ll see where the votes are,” Thune said earlier in the day. Democrats voted 14 times not to reopen the government, demanding an extension of tax credits that make coverage for health plans offered under the Affordable Care Act more affordable. Republicans have refused to negotiate on health care subsidies while the government is shut down, but have so far supported a proposal from moderate Democrats that has emerged in the past few days.
For those enrolled in health exchanges under this law, also known as “Obamacare,” premiums are expected to more than double on average next year if Congress allows the increased subsidies to expire.
Democratic reaction is expected
Republicans need just five votes from Democrats to reopen the government, so a handful of moderate senators could end the shutdown with only the promise of a later vote on health care. About 10 to 12 Democrats participated in the talks, and three people familiar with the deal said they had enough votes to join with Republicans and pass the deal.
Many of his Democratic colleagues say the resulting deal is not enough.
“I really wanted to get something on health care,” Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin said. “I’m going to hear about it right now, but it doesn’t seem like there’s anything concrete.”
House Democrats also opposed it. Texas Rep. Greg Casar, chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said a deal that doesn’t lower health care costs is a “betrayal” to millions of Americans who rely on Democrats to fight back.
“Accepting anything other than the Republicans’ pinky promise is not compromise, it’s surrender,” Casar said in a post on X. “Millions of families will pay the price for this.”
Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota shared: “If people believe this is a ‘deal,’ I have a bridge to sell you.”
Even if the Senate moves forward on funding legislation, a final vote could take several days if Democrats opposed to the deal push back on the process. The first vote, which may come on Sunday evening, will be the discussion of the law.
Outlines of an agreement
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (D-Y) made a public proposal Friday to Republicans to reopen the government and extend expiring health care subsidies by one year. But Republicans quickly rejected it, and Thune called it a “failure.”
Shaheen, who is leading negotiations among Democratic moderates, said Republicans’ rejection of Schumer’s offer shows “we need another path forward.”
The deal would fund parts of the government like food aid, veterans programs and the legislature, among other things, and extend funding for everything else through the end of January. And it would take into account Republicans’ long-standing proposals for a future vote on health care subsidies, which would take place in mid-December.
It would also include language that would reverse some of the Trump administration’s mass layoffs of federal workers since the shutdown began Oct. 1.
Along with the funding fix, Republicans on Sunday released the final text of their three full-year spending bills. This law prohibits lawmakers from getting pay raises but increases their security by $203.5 million in response to growing threats. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., also to prevent the sale of some hemp-based products. There is also a provision defended by.
Republicans highlight health debate
There’s no guarantee that Affordable Care Act subsidies will be extended if Republicans agree to a future vote on health care. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he would not participate in the health care vote.
Some Republicans have said they are open to extending Covid-19-era tax credits on the grounds that premiums could skyrocket for millions of people, but they also want new limits on who can receive the subsidies and argue that tax revenue for the plans should be routed through individuals.
Other Republicans, including Trump, used the debate to renew years-long criticism of the law and called for it to be scrapped or overhauled.
“THE WORST HEALTH CARE AT THE HIGHEST PRICE,” Trump said of the Affordable Care Act in a post Sunday.
Lockdown effects worsening
Meanwhile, the consequences of the closure were getting worse. U.S. airlines canceled more than 2,000 flights on Sunday for the first time since the shutdown began, and more than 7,000 flights were delayed, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks air travel disruptions.
Treasury Secretary Sean Duffy said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that air travel “will be reduced to a trickle” ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday if the government doesn’t reopen.
At the same time, food aid to tens of millions of people has been delayed as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits become caught up in legal battles over the shutdown. More than two dozen states have warned of “catastrophic operational disruptions” as the Trump administration last week asked states to “roll back” benefits paid under judges’ orders and the U.S. Supreme Court struck down those orders.
And in Washington, the Capital Area Food Bank, home to millions of unpaid federal workers, said it provided 8 million more meals than it prepared this budget year, an increase of almost 20%.
