WASHINGTON ― The U.S. government shutdown is set to become the longest in history as bipartisan talks to end the stalemate continue and Democrats weigh potential off-ramps on their biggest demand: health care protections for millions of Americans.
“I think we’re closer to the end of this than we are to the beginning,” Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) said on Tuesday. “This thing can’t go on forever.”
Negotiations to reopen the government, which has been shuttered for 35 days, tying the record government shutdown of 2019, are focused on a funding bill that would include a promise by Republicans to hold a future vote in the Senate on extending enhanced subsidies for millions of Americans enrolled in the Affordable Care Act. Health insurance premiums are projected to skyrocket next year if those subsidies expire, including in many red states, but Republicans have refused to negotiate over an extension until Democrats vote to reopen the government.
There is now a big debate within the Senate Democratic caucus whether to keep fighting for a guaranteed outcome ― an extension of the subsidies ― or to settle for less, such as an eventual floor vote that isn’t certain to succeed. Democratic senators huddled for over two hours during a tense meeting behind closed doors on Tuesday, with no clear decision yet on how to proceed.
