🚀 Check out this insightful post from PBS NewsHour – Politics 📖
📂 Category: Government Shutdown,senate,u.s. senate
💡 Main takeaway:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators are working over the weekend for the first time since the government shutdown began more than a month ago, hoping to find a bipartisan resolution that has eluded them as federal workers have not been paid, airlines have been forced to cancel flights and SNAP benefits for millions of Americans have been delayed.
Watch the Senate in the video player above.
As the weekend session began on Saturday, it was uncertain whether Republicans and Democrats could make any progress toward reopening the government and breaking the 39-day partisan gridlock.
President Donald Trump made clear Saturday that he is unlikely to reach a compromise anytime soon with Democrats demanding an extension of the Affordable Care Act’s tax breaks, posting on social media that it is “the worst health care anywhere in the world.” He suggested that Congress send money directly to people to buy insurance.
Read more: 4 Tips for Navigating Higher ACA Health Care Premiums
Senate Republican leaders have signaled their openness to the proposal emerging from a small group of moderate Democrats to end the shutdown in exchange for a vote later on Obamacare subsidies.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who is leading talks among moderates, said Friday evening that Democrats “need another way forward” after Republicans rejected an offer from Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York to reopen the government and extend benefits for a year. “We are working on it,” she said.
The moderates continue to negotiate
Shaheen and others, negotiating among themselves and with some Republicans, have been discussing bills that would pay for parts of the government — food aid, veterans programs, the Legislature, among others — and extend funding for everything else until December or January. The agreement would only come with a promise of future votes on health care, rather than a guarantee of expanded benefits.
It was not clear whether enough Democrats would support such a plan. Even with an agreement, Trump seems unlikely to support extending health benefits. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Los Angeles, also said this week that he would not commit to a health vote.
Republican leaders need just five additional votes to fund the government, and the group participating in the talks ranged from 10 to 12 Democratic senators.
Some Republicans have said they are open to extending tax credits in the era of COVID-19, when premiums could rise dramatically for millions of people, but they want new restrictions on who can get the benefits.
“We’ve had really good discussions with a lot of Democrats,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, RD.
Republicans are eyeing a new package of bills
Trump wants Republicans to quickly end the shutdown and eliminate the filibuster, which requires 60 votes in the Senate for most legislation, so they can bypass Democrats completely. Vice President J.D. Vance, a former state senator from Ohio, supported the idea in an online post on Saturday, saying Republicans who want to keep the filibuster are “wrong.”
Read more: What is the filibuster and why does Trump want to get rid of it during the shutdown?
Republicans rejected Trump’s call, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune is looking forward to a bipartisan package that mirrors the proposal drawn up by moderate Democrats. What Thune, who has refused to negotiate, might promise on health care is unknown.
The package would replace House-passed legislation that Democrats have rejected 14 times since the shutdown began on Oct. 1. The current bill would extend government funding until November 21 only.
A choice for Democrats
A test vote on the new legislation could be held in the next few days if Thune decides to move forward.
Democrats will then have a critical choice: continue to fight for a real deal on extending subsidies that expire in January, while prolonging the pain of the shutdown? Or vote to reopen the government and hope for the best as Republicans promise a final vote on health care, but not a guaranteed outcome.
After a caucus meeting on Thursday, most Democrats indicated they would continue to stick with Trump and Republican leaders’ agreement to negotiations.
Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said Democrats are “clearly not unanimous” but “without something on health care, the vote is unlikely to succeed.”
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, said they need to stand strong after landslide Democratic victories on Election Day and demand an extension of the benefits.
Associated Press writers Seung-Min Kim, Kevin Freking, Joey Cappelletti, Stephen Groves and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.
A free press is the cornerstone of a healthy democracy.
Support trustworthy journalism and civil dialogue.
🔥 What do you think?
#️⃣ #WATCH #LIVE #Senate #reconvenes #mass #flight #cancellations #due #lockdown #disrupt #travel
