4th Bid to End Gov Shutdown Fails in Senate

Republicans sought to place blame at the feet of Democrats ahead of the votes, accusing Schumer of “hostage-taking” by turning the question of government funding into a policy debate.

“We can’t make commitments or promises on the COVID subsidies, because that’s not something that we can guarantee that there are the votes there to do,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said in a press conference with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).

“What I’ve said is, I’m open to having conversations with our Democrat colleagues about how to address that issue, but that can’t happen while the government is shut down,” he added.

Democrats, for their part, have refused to deliver Republicans the votes without a commitment on the subsidies, with leadership seeing the funding as one of their few points of leverage in the minority.

“The House did its job,” Johnson said at the Friday press conference. “The House sent a bipartisan, very simple, very conventional, 24-page continuing resolution to keep the lights on, and we sent it over. We passed it, and it’s been rejected by the Senate.”

“The House will come back into session and do its work as soon as Chuck Schumer allows us to reopen the government,” Johnson added. “That’s plain and simple.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said in his own press conference that Democrats would return next week, whether Republicans do or not.

“Sending premiums skyrocketing, as Republicans insist, is fundamentally unsustainable,” Schumer said in a Friday floor speech.

Later, Jeffries rattled off the Obamacare insurance spikes that are expected if enhanced subsidies expire.