Copyright Santa Clarita Valley Signal
By Nathan Worcester Contributing Writer WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Friday proposed a new plan to end the record-breaking federal government shutdown, ahead of another possible vote on a Republican-backed bill to reopen the government. Schumer said on the Senate floor that his proposal would continue expiring premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, for a year, giving lawmakers time to work out a longer solution. They are slated to expire at the end of this year. Open enrollment for Obamacare, when prospective customers first got a look at potential new costs, began on Nov. 1. “That’s not a negotiation. It’s an extension of current law,” he said of the proposal to prolong funding for the health care subsidies. The plan would also maintain government funding at its present level. That could put it in line with the Republican-backed continuing resolution that has failed to advance more than a dozen times since the shutdown began on Oct. 1. “What the Senate is doing isn’t working for either party and isn’t working for the American people,” Schumer said. This is a developing story and will be updated.
