Senate GOP Rejects Dems’ Offer to End Shutdown

“After so many [14] failed votes, it’s clear we need to try something different,” argued the Brooklyn Democrat, flanked by members of his conference. “What the Senate is doing isn’t working for either party — and isn’t working for the American people.”

“Democrats would like to see an end to the shutdown — and we want to respect [Senate Majority] Leader [John] Thune’s desire not to negotiate on ACA until after the government reopens,” Schumer went on, adding that his offer was “not a negotiation,” but “an extension of current law.”

“We need Republicans to just say, ‘Yes,’” Schumer concluded.

It didn’t take long for GOP lawmakers and aides in both chambers of Congress to respond with a resounding “no.”

“I think it’s an indication that they’re feeling the heat, and they know that their last proposal was unserious and unrealistic,” Thune told reporters, “so I guess you could characterize that as progress, but I just don’t think that it gets anywhere close to what we need to do here.”

“This is a nonstarter for the Republican Study Committee,” responded Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas), who serves as chairman of the largest group of House GOP lawmakers.

“This is an absurd offer from Chuck Schumer,” added the conservative House Freedom Caucus.

“Senate Democrats are now saying they’ll ONLY agree to reopen the government if we extend the temporary COVID Obamacare subsidies for health insurance companies.

“They’re holding the entire country hostage to protect their failing health care scheme and enrich insurance companies, while funding abortion, child sex changes, and exacerbating fraud — all while families go without paychecks,” they added.

“The president’s position has not changed,” a White House official told The Post Friday. “He has repeatedly made clear he is only open to discussing policy with the Democrats when they reopen the government and stop holding the American people hostage.”

Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) have taken the same line in response to Democrats’ demands regarding health care subsidies. Both have also needled Dems for suggesting that the shutdown has given their party “leverage.”

“I think there will be some pretty substantial damage to a Democratic brand that has been rehabilitated if on the heels of an election, in which the people told us to keep fighting, we immediately stop fighting,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) told Punchbowl News Thursday.

“If we surrender without having gotten anything and we cause a lot of folks in this country who had started to believe in the Democratic Party to retreat again, I worry that it will be hard to get them back up off the mat in time for next fall’s election cycle.”

“Even Democrats admit it: their party doesn’t care about chaos at the airports. They don’t care about families going hungry. They don’t care about our troops missing paychecks,” Johnson fumed in an X post Friday.

“All they care about is protecting their political brand. Just pathetic.”