Thune eyes longer stopgap funding bill as shutdown drags on
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) announced that the Republican-controlled Senate is working on a new stopgap funding bill to extend government funding beyond the current deadline of November 21, set by the House. This extension is necessary because the Senate has rejected the House’s bill multiple times due to a Democratic filibuster, and more time will be needed to complete the full-year budget once the government shutdown ends. The shutdown, now 34 days long, is close to surpassing the longest government shutdown on record, wich lasted 35 days during President Trump’s management.
Despite ongoing behind-the-scenes talks among congressional members, no formal negotiations have taken place between the congressional leaders and the white House. Key issues holding up progress include expiring Obamacare subsidies and broader healthcare negotiations. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is open to extending the funding timeline to facilitate healthcare discussions, but Republicans, including former President Trump, insist negotiations must start only after reopening the government. Overcoming the filibuster in the Senate remains a important hurdle.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) criticized Republicans’ approach to healthcare, accusing them of wanting to eliminate it without offering a viable plan. Thune responded by urging Democrats to stop politicizing the issue and to prioritize reopening the government so that meaningful discussions can proceed.
Thune eyes longer stopgap funding bill as shutdown drags on
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said Monday that the GOP-controlled chamber is seeking to craft a new funding measure to reopen the government beyond the initial timeline set by the House.
The Nov. 21 funding date set by legislation passed in September by House Republicans, which has failed in the Senate 13 times because of a Democratic filibuster, will likely need to be extended into January to allow more time for the full-year appropriations process once Congress eventually emerges from the shutdown.
Thune’s remarks, made to reporters, came on the 34th day of the shutdown, which is careening toward a new record length. The longest shutdown on record, which lasted 35 days, occurred during President Donald Trump’s first term. However, it was only a partial shutdown, affecting government services and employees less.
Talks among congressional leaders and the White House remained nonexistent as of Monday. However, rank-and-file members continued discussions behind the scenes over possible off-ramps and how to address expiring Obamacare subsidies at the center of the stalemate.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) expressed openness to an extended short-term funding date that could jumpstart broader healthcare negotiations. However, Republicans and Trump said those talks can only happen once the shutdown ends. The Senate will still face a 60-vote threshold with any new stopgap funding and require significant Democratic buy-in to overcome a filibuster.
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“The only plan Republicans have for healthcare seems to be to eliminate it and then to tell working people to go figure it out on their own,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said in floor remarks. “That’s not a healthcare plan. That’s cruel. But it’s what Republicans have tried to do with healthcare for decades.”
Thune said in a floor speech that Republicans were “ready and willing to have that discussion, but first Democrats need to stop playing politics with people’s lives and reopen the government.”
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