Republicans swat down Democratic offer to end shutdown as impasse continues into 38th day

Senate Shutdown Impasse Continues as Democrats’ Health Care Offer Rejected

Senate Majority Leader John Thune swiftly dismissed a Democratic proposal to reopen the government and extend expiring health care subsidies for one year, calling it a “nonstarter” as the partial government shutdown stretched into its 38th day on Friday.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer presented the narrowed offer, a scaled-back version of Democrats’ original proposal from a month ago that had sought to make health tax credits permanent and reverse Republican-enacted Medicaid cuts. The new proposal would have allowed simultaneous votes to end the shutdown and extend health care subsidies, along with establishing a bipartisan committee to address Republican demands for changes to the Affordable Care Act.

“All Republicans have to do is say yes,” Schumer stated on the Senate floor.

Republicans quickly rejected the offer, with Thune reiterating their position that negotiations on health care would only proceed after government operations resume. “That’s what we’re going to negotiate once the government opens up,” Thune said, though he characterized the Democratic offer as a sign they are “feeling the heat” from the prolonged shutdown.

“I guess you could characterize that as progress,” Thune added. “But I just don’t think it gets anywhere close to what we need to do here.”

The impasse shows no immediate signs of resolution. Republicans held a caucus meeting Friday afternoon that yielded no breakthrough. Senator John Kennedy bluntly assessed the situation: “We’re back to square one,” adding he could not predict when the shutdown would end.

The shutdown’s consequences continue to mount. Airlines have been forced to cancel more than 1,000 flights, federal workers remain unpaid, and food assistance has been delayed for millions of Americans. Thune urged Democrats to “end these weeks of misery” as he opened Friday’s Senate session.

President Trump has called on the Senate to remain in session “until they have a Deal to end the Democrat Shutdown,” while Thune is keeping senators in Washington through the weekend.

Behind the scenes, a group of moderate Democrats led by New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen has been negotiating with rank-and-file Republicans for weeks. They’re discussing a potential compromise that would fund critical government functions through a series of bills covering food aid, veterans programs, and legislative branch operations, while extending funding for other agencies until December or January.

However, the negotiations have stumbled on health care provisions. The compromise would only include a promise for a future health care vote, rather than guaranteeing extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire in January. Many Democrats find this inadequate.

“Unfortunately the Republicans made it very clear that they were not going to go along with the offer that Senator Schumer put on the floor, so we need another path forward,” Shaheen said Friday evening after meeting with fellow moderates. “We’re working on it.”

The political dynamics are further complicated by President Trump’s renewed calls to eliminate the legislative filibuster, which requires 60 Senate votes for most legislation. “I am totally in favor of terminating the filibuster, and we would be back to work within 10 minutes after that vote took place,” Trump said Friday.

Republican leadership has firmly rejected this approach. Thune appears to be considering a bipartisan package similar to what moderate Democrats have proposed, though it remains unclear what health care provisions would be included.

Democrats face mounting pressure from unions eager for government operations to resume and from allied groups encouraging them to hold firm. Many Democratic lawmakers cite their midterm election victories as evidence that voters want them to continue fighting until Republicans agree to extend the health tax credits.

Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, emphasized that a vote on health care subsidies “has got to mean something,” requiring commitments from both House Speaker Mike Johnson and the president to support the legislation.

However, Speaker Johnson made his position clear on Thursday: “I’m not promising anybody anything,” he stated when asked about supporting a health care bill.

As the shutdown continues, Democrats must decide whether to maintain their current stance demanding health care guarantees, despite the growing economic toll, or accept reopening the government with only the promise of future health care discussions. With neither side showing signs of yielding, the path to resolution remains uncertain.