WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader John Thune quickly swatted down a Democratic offer to reopen the government and extend expiring health care subsidies for a year, calling it a “nonstarter” as the partisan impasse over the shutdown continued into its 38th day.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer made the offer to reopen the government on Friday as Republicans have refused to negotiate on demands to extend health care subsidies. It was a much narrowed version of a broad proposal Democrats laid out a month ago to make the health tax credits permanent and reverse Medicaid cuts that Republicans enacted earlier this year.
Schumer offered Republicans simultaneous votes to end the government shutdown and extend the expiring health care subsidies, along with a bipartisan committee to address Republican demands for changes to the Affordable Care Act.
They split the bill. One part contained what republicans might vote for if they weren’t just keeping the government closed so there’s no vote to release the Epstein files. The other part was a standalone bill to extend subsidies which democrats know won’t pass.
Yes, it’s caving. Because democrats were only pretending to hold out until after the election. They got the only thing they wanted out of the shutdown and it’s not continuing subsidies for healthcare.