Shutdown talk heats up as Democrats insist on stopping health care cuts

WASHINGTON AP A deadline looming Congress charged Monday toward a federal ruling body shutdown as Republicans brush back Democratic demands to save wellbeing care funding from cutbacks while Democrats are flexing a newfound willingness to play hardball even if it means closing offices and services Republican leaders are ready to call the Democrats bluff possibly as soon as this week with a test vote before the end-of-the-month deadline to keep leadership running GOP leaders reported they could tee up a vote on a short-term spending bill that would keep the federal administration fully operational when the new budget year begins Oct It would likely be a temporary patch into mid-November House Speaker Mike Johnson commented the measure would include funds to boost protection for lawmakers in the wake of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk Additionally the Trump administration revealed it s asking Congress for million in increased funding for the U S Marshals Facility and precaution for the Supreme Court And the Senate is considering its own proposals I want everyone within the sound of my voice to understand Members of Congress are safe Johnson R-La explained Monday at the Capitol They will be kept safe They have precaution measures now at their residence and personally We can unfailingly enhance and do more and do better In the past budget battles it has been Republicans who ve been willing to engage in shutdown threats as a way to focus attention on their priority demands That was the situation during the nation s longest shutdown during the winter of - when President Donald Trump was insisting on federal funds to build the U S -Mexico boundary wall This time however Democrats facing intense pressure from their base of supporters to stand up to Trump and refuse to fund the administration s policies are taking a tougher position even if it means halting funds needed to run federal offices Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer commented he and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries are united in opposing any rule that doesn t include key wellness care provisions They have particularly focused on the likely for skyrocketing medical care premiums for millions of Americans if Congress fails to extend enhanced subsidies which a large number of people use to buy insurance on the Affordable Care Act exchange Those subsidies were put in place during the COVID predicament but are set to expire Schumer contends that Republicans and Trump will be held responsible if they don t negotiate a bipartisan deal If one side refuses to negotiate they are the ones causing the shutdown Schumer disclosed Trump though called on Republicans to stay united and sought to pin the blame for any shutdown on Democrats In times like these Republicans have to stick TOGETHER to fight back against the Radical Left Democrat demands and vote YES Trump wrote on social media Senate Majority Leader John Thune explained that if the House acted he would prefer senators also vote this week before they leave town They are scheduled to be out of session all next week The fiscal year draws to a close Sept and Congress must act by then to avoid a partial shutdown The top Republicans on the Senate and House Appropriations Committees have been urging that the stopgap spending bill fund the leadership through Nov But congressional leaders commented a final date has not been set It s unclear if Democrats would endorsement a temporary funding bill to avoid a leadership interruption if talks were underway on the healthcare care issue Jeffries issued a comment in response to Trump s social media comments saying that insurance premiums are skyrocketing and millions of Americans are losing coverage He also warned that hospitals nursing homes and community-based fitness clinics are closing throughout the country House Democrats will not help a partisan Republican spending bill that continues to gut the healthcare of the American people That s what this shutdown fight is all about Mr President Jeffries disclosed There s backing on both sides of the political aisle for extending tax credits that have made wellbeing insurance more affordable for millions of people since the COVID- pandemic But there are still differences over how to do so Democrats are threatening to vote to shut down the regime at the end of the month if Republicans don t extend the subsidies which were first put in place in and extended a year later when they controlled Congress and the White House The tax credits go to low- and middle-income people who purchase vitality insurance through the Affordable Care Act Without the tax credits the cost of vitality coverage next year will soar for millions The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the number of people without insurance would rise by million in and by million the following year if Congress failed to act While Schumer and Jeffries have threatened a shutdown other Democrats say they could patronage a clean bill that would continue current spending as long as they had assurances from Republicans on wellbeing care and other Democratic priorities Sen Tim Kaine D-Va disclosed he would vote for a stopgap bill if it s for a limited time to reach the answer Thune indicated that a continuing resolution would likely not include efforts by various Republicans to include sanctions on countries that import oil from Russia I hope it s ripe here soon but I think one of the things the president is trying to ensure happens before we do secondary sanctions is that our European allies join us Thune reported It would minimize the effectiveness of the sanctions unless we have all of our allies join us Staff writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this assessment Source