WASHINGTON — Republicans on Friday spurned a Democratic proposal to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history that included a vote to reopen the government in exchange for a yearlong extension of expiring health insurance subsidies for people enrolled in the Affordable Care Act.
“After so many failed votes, it’s clear we need to try something different,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a Senate floor speech on Friday. “All Republicans have to do is say ‘yes’ to extend current law for one year.”
But Republicans quickly shot it down, insisting that Senate Democrats first agree to make reforms to the program, including an income cap for eligibility and a gradual wind-down.
“It’s a horrible idea,” Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) said of Schumer’s offer. “We might as well go home and start over again. It’s disappointing that they think that this is what’s going to open the government.”
Democrats’ offer is not much different from their basic demand for the past six weeks — a vote for government funding in exchange for an extension of Affordable Care Act health care subsidies — but it’s significantly narrower than what Democrats have previously demanded.
