The Senate is scheduled to hold a crucial vote on Friday to advance a measure aimed at ending the ongoing government shutdown – a stalemate closely linked to issues around health insurance subsidies.
Senate majority leader John Thune (R-S.D.) plans to put the House-passed continuing resolution (CR)—which has failed to advance 14 times so far—on the floor with the intent to amend it. The goal is to attach a negotiated package of three full-year spending bills, known as a minibus, and move the government funding expiration date to sometime in January.
Thune told fellow Republicans that he planned the Friday vote, believing the strategy would win enough Democratic support to advance, reported Politico. However, Democratic senators emerged from their own private lunch determined to seek a “better deal,” and they are expected to block the House CR again without additional progress in negotiations. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said the vote will help determine “how serious the Democrats are or not,” reported The Hill.
A major point of contention in bipartisan negotiations is securing a vote on the expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), a key figure in the talks, labeled Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) refusal to guarantee a vote to extend the enhanced ACA subsidies “a significant problem”. Speaker Johnson confirmed his reluctance, stating, “I’m not promising anybody anything”.
Some freshman Senate Democrats have raised the “long-shot idea” of deploying a discharge petition to end-run Speaker Johnson and force a vote on the ACA tax credits. However, House Democratic leadership aides have indicated this maneuver is not a viable option, noting Johnson could likely delay any vote until after the subsidies expire on December 31.
Republicans delivered a new funding offer to Democrats just ahead of their crucial closed-door caucus lunch on Thursday, according to multiple media reports. The offer included a “sweetener”: a willingness to discuss rehiring federal workers who had been laid off during the shutdown as part of the deal.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) confirmed she wants those workers recalled and back pay guaranteed for furloughed employees. The proposed minibus package includes the Agriculture-FDA, Military Construction-VA, and Legislative Branch funding bills.
Despite the renewed offer, Democrats were united following their caucus lunch, the Hill reported. While they declined to specify their unified position, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) stated the party is unified in wanting to “bring down health care costs”. Democrats focused their discussion on how to remain unified and are considering offering a counter-proposal to the GOP on the three full-year funding bills.
Even if the Friday measure advances, the package is expected to take days to fully clear due to anticipated procedural hurdles and objections from senators on both sides of the aisle. Senate GOP leaders are prepared to keep lawmakers in Washington through the weekend, if necessary, to force a resolution.