On day 38 of the government shutdown, Senate Democrats unveiled their first official offer to reopen the government.
Almost immediately, Republicans said "no."
The plan, as proposed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Friday, aimed to solve one of the key Democratic concerns throughout the shutdown: that Republicans were offering no guarantee that Affordable Care Act subsidies will in fact be extended in some form.
Without an extension, Americans enrolled in Obamacare are poised to see their premiums skyrocket next year. The proposal called for reopening the government with what Democrats describe as a "clean" stopgap funding bill, coupled with a package of three appropriations bills that have already received bipartisan approval.
Republicans are mostly fine with that idea. In fact, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has been working to pass a similar bill. But Democrats also have an additional demand: a one-year extension of Obamacare subsidies, allowing lawmakers to set up a bipartisan committee to then negotiate future reforms. The blueprint was notably the first explicit proposal Schumer has publicly offered since the shutdown began, with the New York Democrat preferring to keep his caucus' demands more enigmatic.
"Now, the ball is in the Republicans' court," Schumer said. "We need Republicans to just say 'yes.'"
Republicans, however, are not playing ball.
This is a preview of Kevin Frey and Mychael Schnell's latest article. Read the full article here.
