Senate leader eyes potential shutdown deal but there’s no guarantee of success
WASHINGTON: As the Senate held a rare Sunday session, the Republican leader said a potential deal was “coming together” on the government shutdown. But there was no guarantee it would end an impasse now stretching to 40 days.
Moderate Democrats huddled over the weekend to find a compromise to reopen the government as the shutdown continued to disrupt flights nationwide, threaten food assistance for millions of Americans and leave federal workers without pay.
Top Republicans were working with those Democrats to finalize a legislative package that would reopen the government into January while also approving full-year funding for several parts of government. The bill would also potentially reverse some recent mass layoffs of federal workers.
But the full details were still unclear, and the necessary Democratic support wasn’t yet certain as it appeared unlikely the package would extend health care subsidies that expire at the end of the year. Senate Democrats were meeting in the Capitol before a possible test vote on Sunday night to hear more about the package.
“A deal is coming together,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Sunday afternoon. He warned, however, that it was not a done deal.
“We’ll see where the votes are,” Thune said.
Democrats have now voted 14 times not to reopen the government as they demand the extension of tax credits that make coverage more affordable for health plans offered under the Affordable Care Act. Republicans have refused to negotiate on the health care subsidies while the government is closed, but they have so far been supportive of the emerging proposal from moderate Democrats to end the shutdown in exchange for a later vote.
For those enrolled in health exchanges under that law, also known as “Obamacare,” premiums on average are expected to more than double next year if Congress allows the enhanced subsidies to lapse.
