A government shutdown is ’totally up to the Democrats,‘ Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told NBC’s ’Meet the Press’ as Democrats press on healthcare.
Democratic and Republican congressional leaders are digging their heels in ahead of a critical meeting with President Donald Trump to avoid a potential government shutdown this week, each pinning the blame for any negotiations that fail tomorrow on the opposing party.
Trump agreed to meet with Senate and House leaders of both parties on Monday to hopefully broker a deal to pass a continuing resolution to keep the government funded until a long-term spending bill can be passed.
Democrats say that Republicans need to agree to extend certain tax subsidies for the Affordable Care Act Marketplace—also known as Obamacare—that were passed in 2021 as part of the American Rescue Plan and are set to expire at the end of the year.
Republicans are countering by saying the tax subsidy discussion can occur after passing a continuing resolution to keep the government afloat in the short term, saying the Affordable Care Act is beset by “waste, fraud, and abuse.”
A government shutdown is “totally up to the Democrats,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sept. 27.
“The ball is in their court,” he said. “So this decision, in my judgment, at this point in time, is up to a handful of Democrats. We need eight Democrats to pass it through the Senate, something that 13 times, when the Democrats had the majority over the last four years and President [Joe] Biden was in the White House, Republicans helped Democrats do.”
He said the tax credits don’t expire until the end of the year and that Democrats need to “release the hostage” on refusing to approve the continuing resolution before having that conversation on health care.
“That particular program is desperately in need of reform. It’s fraught with waste, fraud, and abuse, so we are going to have to have reforms if we take action there,” Thune said. “But I think there’s potentially a path forward.”
By Jacob Burg
