Rank-and-file senators in both parties seek breakthrough on shutdown

Senate centrists in both parties are trying to put together a deal to reopen the federal government.

A group of them huddled on the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon, after Democrats voted for the second time in two days to block a House-passed stopgap funding measure.

Three members of the Democratic caucus voted for the House-passed continuing resolution, but five more Democrats would need to support it to reopen the federal government.

Senate Republicans control 53 seats and need 60 votes to pass a government funding measure. They need eight Democratic votes because Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) doesn’t want to continue the current funding levels.

Additional Democratic centrists may support the resolution if they are given strong assurances from Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) that he will move a bill later this year to extend enhanced health insurance premium subsidies that expire at the end of the year.

“I trust that if the Republican leadership commits to do something and lets everybody know that, that they will do that,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), who has reached out to Republican colleagues about putting together a compromise on extending the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies.

Shaheen is a leading Democratic co-sponsor of the Health Care Affordability Act, which would make the enhanced premium tax credits permanent at an estimated cost of $350 billion over 10 years.

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), who huddled with a group of Democratic colleagues on the Senate floor, is floating a one-year extension of the enhanced health premium subsidies, an idea that Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) has also endorsed.

But Democrats are divided over whether a promise from Thune to advance legislation to address expiring subsidies — or to negotiate on the issue in good faith — would be a strong enough justification to vote to reopen government.

“We want to resolve this. Democrats are really concerned about health care and some of our Republican colleagues appreciate that because what is going to happen to folks on the ACA is going to affect folks in every state. It’s not a red state, blue state situation,” Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) said.

But Welch said he wants more than just a promise from the GOP leadership to address rising health care premiums.

“There has to be something that’s enforceable, obviously,” he said. “Whatever it is has to be something that is enforceable.”

“The bottom line here is that I sensed real concern among my Republican about what happens to the people they represent if we go off the cliff on the Affordable Care Act. The same thing that happens to Vermonters, which is devastating, will happen to folks they represent,” he said.

Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) said Republicans are working on an extension of the health premium subsidies.

“We’ve already said we’re working on that issue, but it doesn’t come due until the end of the calendar year. That’s not a reason to shut the government down now. In order to keep working on it, we need to pass the [continuing resolution],” Hoeven said.

Hoeven was involved with floor discussions with GOP and Democratic colleagues.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) told reporters Wednesday that he feels encouraged by the bipartisan talks taking place among rank-and-file senators.