Washington (AP) – Senate Democrats made their promise to reject any bill on Republicans who did not spread and did not restore health benefits, preferring instead to force the closure of the government. Now they must find out how to get out of this.
Only a few hours after the start of the closure, the leader of the democrats in the Senate Chuck Schumer said that if the Republicans work with them, “the closure may disappear very quickly.”
But it will not be easy. Republican leaders – the leader of the majority in the Senate John Tong, the speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson and President Donald Trump – said they would not negotiate or will not be “hostages” by democrats requiring the government. The bill, against which they voted for the bill, was a simple continuation of financing for 45 days, and, according to them, the legislation should be incorrect.
While this uncompromising republican position may not last long – there were some early, informal negotiations on the floor on Wednesday in the Senate – it would be difficult to conclude a deal. At the moment, this is deeply vague if both parties can find a common language on health policy or sufficient trust in the Democrats to change their position.
At the same time, expanded closure can become more painful for the Democrats. The Trump administration threatened to dismiss thousands of workers and targeted democratic states. On Wednesday, the White House announced that he was engaged in the projects of the metro and tunnel in the native state of Schumer in New York.
“This stop of a democrat actually delayed progress on issues that, according to the Democrats, are interested in,” said Tun, representing Southern Dakota, on Wednesday in the Senate.
Some fluctuations in the democrats appear in the saga about the shutdown
The Republicans were encouraged on Tuesday evening, when three democrats voted with them to keep the government open – the democratic feelings of John Fetterman from Pennsylvania and Katherine Cortes Masto from Nevada and the independent Senator Angus King from the state of Meng.
Republicans who hold the majority need eight democrats to win 60 votes necessary for passing in the Senate 53-47. Senator Kentukki Rand Paul was the only Republican who voted with the Democrats against this measure.
Thune holds repeated voices in a measure, which failed 55-45 on Tuesday evening and again on Wednesday in the morning. He said that he hopes that five democrats will ultimately feel pressure and support the bill “when they understand that it plays a losing hand.”
Republicans look at several moderate democrats, who seemed to hesitate before gaining voices “no” on Tuesday evening, including Saint. Zhanna Shahin from New Gampshire and Gary Peters from Michigan. Both voted to keep the government open in March with Sumer, while many of their colleagues voted for closing.
But Shahin and Peters everyone did not vote on Tuesday after extensive negotiations with colleagues from both sides on the floor. Subsequently, Shakhin said that “I talked with colleagues on both sides of the passage about how to find the way forward, and I want to work with my republican colleagues to find a common language.”
Democrats at the intersection: dig or dig?
Since some democrats are already looking for a way out, others say that they need to delve and fight.
“As the lawlessness of Donald Trump grows during this shutdown, our thorns should strain rather than bend,” Senator Chris Murphy from Connecticut in a message on social networks said on Wednesday. “Let's do something. The American people do not want us to finance the destruction of their medical care and the destruction of our democracy. “
The divisions in the meeting create a dilemma for Sumer, which was blown up by basic voters and activists in March, when he voted with the Republicans to keep the government open. Many democrats in the House of Representatives and the Senate suggested that closing the government is their only lever to combat Trump and repel his policy, including medical care and reduction in expenses.
“Fulfillment (Trump) sends him a message on these other issues,” said Senator Connecticut Richard Blumental, D-Conn.
Health policy
The Democrats demanded that the Republicans immediately expand the healthcare subsidies for people who buy a coating in the markets of the law on affordable medical care. The expanded subsidies first entered into force in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic, which expires at the end of the year, which will increase premium expenses for millions of people.
Many Republicans said they are open to expand, but they want to see changes. Other Republicans – especially in the ward – consider this as an unacceptable expansion of the legislation of President Barack Obama on healthcare, which Republicans tried to eliminate or reduce or reduce it since it was adopted 15 years ago.
Johnson did not take the obligation to talk on this issue and said: “There must be a reform.”
Obamacare “is a disadvantage,” Johnson said on CNBC.
Tun has repeatedly stated that the Republicans are ready to agree on this issue as soon as the government was opening again.
Despite this, some Republicans began unofficial negotiations with democrats on the floor on Wednesday on Wednesday on the potentially expanding expanded subsidies for a year, and then ultimately extinguished them. The idea, promoted by Senator, Republican Mike Rawngs from South Dakota, will probably be rejected by many Republicans, but the Democrats said that they were inspired by the fact that both sides were generally talking.
“At least we are talking about the same problem on the same page,” said Senator Peter Welch, D-VT. “Therefore, I see this as progress, but it is far from the place where we should be.”
Lessons from the past
Past remnants show that it is difficult to win large concessions by closing the government.
In 2018, the government closed for three days, when the democrats led by Sumer, insisted that any budget measure was acting with the protection of young immigrants, known as “dreamers” as part of the Obama era program for children. They voted to open after the leader of the then Majorite Mitch MacConnell promised only a vote on this issue.
Later in the same year, Trump forced to close the financing of his border wall and retreated after 35 days as increasing delays at the country's airports and missed the days of salary for hundreds of thousands of federal workers.
Senator Ted Kruz, R-texas and the Republicans of the House of Representatives launched the closure in 2013 regarding Obama Law on Health. The two -party negotiations in the Senate finally finished the stop after 16 days, and the Republicans did not win any serious concessions in healthcare.
“I don’t think that shutdown is beneficial to someone, the least of all the American people,” Tong said.
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