President Trump on Saturday took a swipe at Democrats and health insurance companies as lawmakers struggle to find consensus on a bill to reopen the government.
Trump, weighing in on the debate around high health care premiums as Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits are poised to expire soon, suggested that funds be diverted from insurance companies and paid directly to consumers.
“I am recommending to Senate Republicans that the Hundreds of Billions of Dollars ...
Senate
Republicans scramble for ideas to reopen government after pressure tactics fail
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and his Republican leadership team are scrambling for new ideas to end the 38-day government shutdown after it became clear Friday that tactics to pressure Democrats to vote for a House-passed funding bill have failed so far.
Senate Republicans are batting around various ideas to break the stalemate, such as voting on a new Senate-drafted bill that would fund a large swath of the federal government through fiscal year 2026.
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Senate Republican: Leadership ‘ignores me’ on shutdown solution
Republican Sen. John Kennedy (La.) said the Senate has done “zero, zilch, nada” since it passed the tax and spending megabill in July and that leadership “ignores” him when he proposes solutions to bypass Democrats.
“Every time I brought up the idea of doing a second reconciliation bill where we don’t need Democrats, our leadership just ignores me,” Kennedy told Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Thursday.
“I don’t blame the president for being frustrated,” he said. ...
Senate GOP rips Democratic offer to end shutdown: ‘Nonstarter’
Senate Republicans are lambasting an offer by Democrats to extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies for one year as part of a deal to reopen the government, arguing there is little to no appetite for such an agreement.
Multiple members of the Senate GOP were quick to pan the proposal — which Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) had offered on the Senate floor just hours earlier and which includes a short-term funding stopgap, an attached three-bill “minibus”...
Schumer offers plan to end shutdown on Senate floor
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) offered a plan Friday to end the government shutdown, headlined by a one-year extension of the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits and a short-term spending bill.
“Democrats have said we must address the health care crisis, but Republicans have repeatedly said they won’t negotiate to lower the health care costs until the government reopens,” Schumer said on the floor, with other Democrats in the chamber. “So let’s fin...
Deal to reopen government falters over Democrats’ distrust of Trump
Democratic support for a potential deal to reopen the government has crumbled because of deep mistrust among Senate Democrats over whether they can trust President Trump to act in good faith to extend health insurance subsidies or to stop firing federal workers.
Senate Democrats on Thursday rejected an emerging proposal to reopen the government that would have linked a stopgap funding bill known as a continuing resolution to three full-year appropriations bills funding mili...
Key Democratic negotiator casts doubt on reaching shutdown deal soon
A key Senate Democratic negotiator indicated on Thursday that a deal to end the shutdown soon is unlikely.
“No, I don’t think so,” Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), a prominent figure in the shutdown talks, told reporters when asked if lawmakers are close to ending the shutdown. “We have to make sure we have a deal that we can get broad support for.”The Michigan Democrat also said Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) refusal to guarantee a vote to extend enhanced Affordable C...
Slotkin: Trump ‘finally clicking in to the shutdown’ after Democrats’ wins
Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) said she was optimistic about the prospect of negotiating an end to the government shutdown after President Trump acknowledged on Wednesday that the ongoing standoff likely hurt Republicans on the ballot in Tuesday’s elections.
“I thought the president was pretty frank this morning about the fact that, you know, they lost, and accepting some lumps for that — which was probably not what the Republicans in the room wanted him to say publicly, but...
Senate Dem divide emerges as progressives warn against ending shutdown
Divisions are erupting among Senate Democrats over the government shutdown.
A group of moderate-leaning members are signaling they are moving toward a possible resolution to end the shutdown, much to the chagrin of progressive colleagues, who were buoyed by Tuesday’s election results and believe it is worth keeping up the battle over health care.
Democrats writ large got a massive shot in the arm Tuesday night with key victories in Virginia, New Jersey, Cal...
Democrats’ confidence in shutdown strategy soars after election sweep
Senate Democrats feel confident after Tuesday’s election that they have the advantage over Republicans in the government shutdown battle and are pointing to President Trump’s statement that Republicans are getting “killed” politically as a big reason to stand their ground.
A bipartisan deal hashed out by centrist Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Appropriations Committee to reopen the government as soon as this week now appears stalled after Democrats won sweeping vic...