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Senate Majority Leader John Thune said talks with centrist Democrats have increased and he’s hopeful they could lead eventually to a breakthrough to end the government shutdown. “It’s ticked up significantly and hopefully that’ll be a precursor of things to come,” he told reporters in the Capitol Wednesday when asked about the status of talks with rank-and-file Democrats. “But yeah, there’s a lot of higher level of conversation.” Democratic leaders, Thune said, are not involved in the negotiating. Asked whether he thought there would be enough moderate Democrats in the mix to reach a deal that would reopen the government, he expressed optimism. “I think there’s a possibility that could happen. So, let’s just hope that the conversations continue,” he said, noting he’s “being kept briefed and read-into most of those conversations. I’m hoping something here very soon will be fruitful.” While the Republican leader expressed rare optimism for a potential off-ramp from the stalemate that’s now in its fifth week, it remains to be seen whether there will be any meaningful step toward a funding solution in coming days. Neither side has made any commitments publicly. Lawmakers have faced increased pressure to reopen the government this week with crucial safety net programs – including federal food assistance for more than 40 million people – at risk of shuttering this weekend. One Democrat involved in the talks, who requested anonymity to speak on the discussions, told CNN the conversations Thune cited are real. The Democrat would not elaborate on whether they were focused solely on resolving the expiring enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies or if other matters – such as the White House’s recent moves to flout Congress’ spending power through “rescissions” – were also involved. Asked whether the talks could offer a way out of the shutdown, the Democrat would only say: “Maybe.” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat from New Hampshire who has been involved in the talks, declined to confirm Thune’s assessment that they are making progress. But she said, “I think there have been good discussions. That’s all I’m going to tell you about it.” Though Thune noted Democratic leaders were not involved, he said there were many Democrats looking for a solution. “They just don’t have any room to maneuver but there are a lot of rank-and-file members,” he said, who “want to pursue solutions and to be able to address the issues they care about, including health care.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, however, appeared to dismiss Thune’s comments on Wednesday. “There have been, there are occasional talks between Democrats and Republicans on this issue, but our Republican colleagues don’t seem to be offering anything different than what their leadership has had so far we hope that will change,” the New York Democrat said. “We don’t want to pit health care and food. They do, we think you can have both.”
