Senate Majority Leader John Thune expressed that he has made an offer to Democrats to address what they view as a top priority in the ongoing government shutdown, but it appears to have done little to break the deadlock.
In an interview with MSNBC, aired Thursday morning, Thune indicated he proposed a vote on extending the Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium subsidies as a way to facilitate discussions.
However, he emphasized that he could not promise a specific outcome from such negotiations.
“I’ve told them. I said, and I’ve said, ‘We are willing to have the conversation.'” Thune stated, adding, “At some point Democrats have to take yes for an answer.”
The situation remains tense as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer countered Thune’s claims, suggesting that no formal proposal to vote on extending ACA subsidies has been presented to him.
“Look, we’re not negotiating in public. Plain and simple,” Schumer told reporters when questioned about Thune’s offer.
As the shutdown stretches into its 16th day, Senate Democrats have been vocal about their demands for health care reforms that aim to prevent rising premiums for low- and middle-income Americans.
The talks to fund the government have been met with repeated challenges, particularly as the Senate failed to advance the GOP’s funding bill for the tenth time on Thursday.
Senate leaders are expected to exit Washington later in the day, which makes it likely that the shutdown will persist into the following week.
In a bid to push things forward, Thune initiated a procedural vote on a defense funding bill intended to secure military paychecks for troops.
However, he encountered resistance, with Democrats blocking progress on the measure.
“Reopening the government is a crucial first step to continue discussions about reforms to health care,” Thune reiterated during the MSNBC interview.
Despite acknowledging the need for reforms, he made it clear that he could not assure any outcomes from future discussions.
“There is a path forward, I believe, but it has to include reforms, and can I guarantee an outcome? No,” Thune noted.
He mentioned that while there is interest across the aisle in controlling health care costs, substantive discussions depend on the government being reopened first.
Republican leaders, including Speaker Mike Johnson, underscored the impossibility of guaranteeing specific health care outcomes at this juncture.
Describing the current situation, Johnson said, “It’s not possible for Leader Thune to guarantee to Chuck Schumer some outcome on that, because we haven’t finished those deliberations. I mean, that’s just as simple as it is.”
The pressure from Democrats remains unabated as they continue to push for a resolution that would also tackle health care issues while re-funding the government.
Schumer criticized the lack of open negotiations, pointing out, “The American people are facing one of the most devastating crises they have faced in terms of cost, and we still have not heard crickets of any negotiation with Johnson or with Thune.”
As uncertainty looms, Thune was asked about the prospects of resolving the shutdown before Thanksgiving.
While he expressed hope that it wouldn’t last that long, he refrained from making definitive commitments.
“I hope it doesn’t last through Thanksgiving because that’s going to be a lot of harm to the American people,” Thune concluded.
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