Copyright Salt Lake City Deseret News
WASHINGTON — Millions of Americans gathered across the country to protest the Trump administration in the second-ever “No Kings” rallies this weekend, a moment that Republicans said that Democrats were waiting to pass before they could reopen the government. But so far, there’s been no evidence indicating that’s the case. The Senate once again failed to pass a resolution to reopen the government and extend funding until Nov. 21, marking the 11th time Democrats have shot down the bill in the upper chamber. Only three Democrats have crossed party lines consistently to back the GOP-led measure, but the rest have remained united against the bill. That didn’t change when the bill was brought up on Monday, and Democratic senators appear as steadfast as ever not to give in. And party leaders are indicating they could remain opposed through the rest of the month. “If we don’t address the Republican health care crisis in advance of open enrollment on Nov. 1, it will become even more apparent to everyday Americans why we need to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told reporters on Monday. “Because by that point, tens of millions of people across the country will realize that their health insurance premiums, co-pays and deductibles have skyrocketed beyond what’s affordable because of Republican inaction.” That date has long been a talking point for Democrats, who say millions of Americans will begin to receive notices that their health care premiums will increase exponentially next year. But if something isn’t done by Nov. 1, Democrats argue it could be too late to avoid the price increases — giving them political ammo and a possible off-ramp to the shutdown battle. The thinking, as reported by national outlets, is that Democrats can place the blame on Republicans for the higher premiums, but then fold to the Republican spending resolution. That would give the GOP a policy win on the bill but Democrats a political win on health care messaging. It’s not yet clear if that’s the path Democrats will take — but the party has shown no signs of changing the trajectory of the shutdown without concessions from their Republican colleagues. Alternative plans being discussed — but changes will need to come sooner or later Another off-ramp being discussed among bipartisan groups of senators is whether to hold side-by-side votes that would appease both Republicans and Democrats. One vote would extend the COVID-19-era Obamacare tax subsidies for one year with a commitment to pass a longer-term solution at a later date. The other vote would be to reopen the government through the Republican continuing resolution. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has repeatedly said he would allow Democrats to vote on the enhanced health care credits in a standalone vote in exchange for their support to reopen the government. But so far, that hasn’t convinced enough Democrats who want to guarantee an extension rather than leave it to the fate of legislative math. If the bill comes to the Senate floor, more than a dozen Republicans would need to support all Democrats in overcoming a filibuster to extend the credits. That’s unlikely in this majority. But a failed vote could be enough for some moderate Democrats to say they attempted to notch the policy win, and then vote to reopen the government anyway. That move is typical in the Senate as lawmakers agree to drop their opposition if they get a vote, even one that fails, on their own proposal. That could be a totally different story in the House, where Democratic lawmakers are pushing their Senate counterparts to stand firm and ensure they walk away with a win. When asked if he would accept Senate Democrats rolling over after a failed Obamacare vote, Jeffries brushed off concerns to say both chambers are “on the same page.” “House and Senate Democrats have been on the same page from the very beginning of the effort to try to fund the government,” he said on Monday. “We need to cancel the cuts, lower the costs and save healthcare.” Although senators haven’t come to an agreement, some sort of deal will need to be sorted out soon. The current resolution being considered each day by the Senate would extend government funding until Nov. 21, which initially would’ve given lawmakers seven weeks to finalize spending bills if it passed by the Oct. 1 deadline. But now, it would give appropriators barely a month — if it passed this week — which has raised concerns that lawmakers should amend that to a later date. Thune acknowledged that as the shutdown drags on, it becomes “an eventuality” that senators will need to pass a new continuing resolution. Some senators have floated whether to pass a one-year resolution that would extend last year’s spending levels through the 2026 fiscal year. “(Democrats) may not leave any alternatives if they continue to block opening the government and continuing the appropriations process,” Thune said. “This idea that you can have a normal appropriations process … is so far a one-sided argument.” Democrats shoot down other spending bills Meanwhile, Democrats have rejected Republicans’ alternative spending proposals, expressing widespread distrust of the Trump administration. Democrats last week tanked a procedural vote to proceed on the full-year appropriations bill for the Defense Department, arguing they wouldn’t support the legislation without knowing the details of what policies Republicans planned to add later. “We have always believed we need a strong defense, but we believe we need strong health care,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters on Thursday. “We have always negotiated these appropriation agreements in a bipartisan way. Once again, they’re just going at it alone.” Senate Republicans will also move this week to pass a bill that would allow “excepted” federal workers to be paid during the shutdown, including military pay and other essential positions. But some Democrats have said they won’t support the bill, citing concerns it would empower Trump to pick and choose which workers are paid. “It lets Trump and (Office of Management and Budget Director Russ) Vought choose who they are going to pay,” Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democratic appropriator in the Senate, said on Monday. “So, no, I do not” support it. Republicans tear into Democrats for ‘No Kings’ protests As Democrats continue to reject bills that come to the floor, Republicans have attacked the minority party over allegations they are intentionally politicizing the process — specifically pointing to the “No Kings” rallies even though those appeared to do little to move the needle. “Over the weekend, we saw what it was all about. The Democrats made crystal clear that this is about politics,” Johnson said on Monday. “The rallies this week were all about what it was. It was quite ironic, though the irony was very glaring. They called it the ‘No Kings’ rally. But the great irony, of course, that we pointed out over and over was, if President Trump was a king, that the government would be open.” Trump, for the most part, has been mostly hands-off in the shutdown fight. Aside from an initial meeting he had with Thune, Johnson, Schumer, and Jeffries in September, the president has not engaged in bipartisan conversations, according to the Democratic leaders. Democrats have criticized Trump for his lack of cooperation, and called on him to get involved to quickly solve the impasse. “Donald Trump definitively needs to get involved. He needs to get off the sidelines, get off the golf course, and actually decide to end the shutdown that he’s created, that he has allowed to happen,” Jeffries said on Monday. “We know that House and Senate Republicans don’t do anything without getting permission from their boss, Donald J. Trump.” Trump is scheduled to meet with Republican senators for lunch on Tuesday afternoon. It’s not clear if the president will decide to get more involved with the process after that conversation. Still, a sliver of hope remains Despite the split screen messages at press conferences, there still appears to be a line of communication between the two parties. Jeffries confirmed to the Deseret News on Monday that he last spoke to Johnson over the weekend, although he declined to go into details. Still, it suggests some hope as Schumer told Axios last week the two Senate leaders haven’t spoken in days. Meanwhile, conservatives in the Freedom Caucus signaled a willingness to negotiate on health care — although they reaffirmed they would not accept Democratic demands to permanently extend the enhanced Obamacare subsidies. But Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., and Caucus Policy Chairman Chip Roy, R-Texas, said they’d be willing to talk about serious reforms and adjustments to the system at-large. “We are willing, as a House Freedom Caucus, to talk about anything. But a clean extension — we are not willing to talk about clean extensions,” Harris told reporters on Monday. “That’s not a negotiation. That’s a demand.” Harris alluded to some policies he’d be willing to negotiate, such as “winding down” the COVID-19-era tax credits and eliminating “some of the fraud and abuse potential” within the program. Roy cited similar reforms he’d be willing to negotiate, arguing the system needs an overhaul to ensure health insurance companies aren’t taking advantage of patients. “I’m happy to sit down at the table and have any conversation you want to talk about,” Roy said. “if we want to talk about, you know, actual forms like codify short-term limitation plans, codify and expand direct primary care and health savings accounts to empower patients and doctors, and not insurance companies.”
