Lawmakers from both parties dug in their heels Sunday over government funding demands ahead of a meeting between President Trump and congressional leaders aimed at averting a shutdown this week.
During various interviews on the Sunday political affairs programs, Republican and Democratic leaders signaled that health care subsidies set to expire at the end of the year remain a key sticking point.
Democratic leaders have been adamant that Republicans won’t get their party’s support without action on Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies — an issue Republicans say they won’t touch until after government funding discussions.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Democrats want a “real” negotiation when they meet with Trump at the White House on Monday.
“It depends on the Republicans,” Schumer said on NBC News’s “Meet the Press” when asked whether he thinks lawmakers can keep the government open. “The meeting is a first step, but only a first step. We need a serious negotiation.”
“So if they’re serious, I’m hopeful we can get something real done,” he added.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), appearing on ABC News’s “This Week,” similarly said he’s “hopeful” Congress can avert a shutdown while stressing the need for a bipartisan agreement and including the ACA subsidies.
Asked directly if he expects the federal government to shut down, Jeffries replied, “Well, it’s my hope that we’ll avoid one. At the end of the day, Republicans do control the House, the Senate, and the presidency.”
“We want to find a bipartisan path forward and reach a spending agreement with our Republican colleagues that actually meets the needs of the American people, but that also addresses the Republican health care crisis that is harming everyday Americans all across the country,” Jeffries said.
Democrats have put a spotlight on the Trump administration’s cuts to health care but have faced a dilemma ahead of the shutdown deadline in the face of Trump’s refusal to negotiate. The administration has directed agencies to prepare for mass firings in the event of a funding lapse, and both parties have argued over who would face the most blame in a shutdown.
GOP leaders on Sunday signaled no plans to change course.
“Totally up to the Democrats. The ball is in their court,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said on “Meet the Press” when asked if there would be a shutdown.
“What the Democrats have done here is take the federal government as a hostage, and for that matter, by extension, the American people, to try and get a whole laundry list of things that they want, the special interest groups on the far left are pushing them to accomplish,” he added.
While House Republicans have passed a “clean” stopgap spending bill to extend government funding at current levels, Senate Republicans need support from Democrats to overcome the 60-vote threshold in that chamber.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” echoed Thune in saying any discussion around ObamaCare tax credits must happen after Congress addresses how to avert the shutdown that is set to begin Wednesday.
“The ObamaCare subsidies is a policy debate that has to be determined by the end of the year … not right now, while we’re simply trying to keep the government open so we can have all these debates,” Johnson said.
The Speaker said his party is “operating completely in good faith to get more time,” adding the funding measure passed by the House “didn’t add a single partisan priority or policy rider at all.”
Vice President Vance signaled the White House is also not prepared to compromise on the “clean” stopgap measure backed by Republicans.
“Well, look, we don’t want to shut down the government, Martha, but it’s really up to the Democrats,” Vance told host Martha MacCallum on “Fox News Sunday.”
“We don’t want to shut down the government. But if Democrats refuse to just pass this clean continuing resolution, that’s exactly what’s going to happen. And I think the Democrats are going to bear the responsibility for it,” he added.
Schumer, Jeffries, Johnson and Thune are all set to meet with Trump at the White House on Monday.
