On November 7, the 38th day of the longest government shutdown, the Senate was poised to vote for the 15th time on the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) to end the shutdown.
To sweeten the pot for votes from Senate Democrats, Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) planned to attach three full-year Senate appropriations bills (the Agriculture, Legislative Branch and Military Construction-VA bills) and to extend the CR through sometime in January (the House-passed CR would expire on November 21). Not on Senator Thune’s list of promises was any extension of enhanced premium tax credits for health insurance from the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces. Also on November 7, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) indicated Senate Democrats would support a CR that includes a one-year extension of the enhanced tax credits (Democrats have been holding out for a permanent extension).
In addition to turmoil in funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’s 42 million beneficiaries and ongoing demands from Democrats to extend the enhanced premium tax credits for marketplace health insurance, other issues are increasingly in the mix of CR negotiations.
Causing increased tension in shutdown negotiations are White House directives to the Federal Aviation Administration to cut 10% of flights at 40 high-traffic airports starting on November 7 and hopes from some key senators, including Senate Committee on Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-ME), to reverse the White House’s reduction in force (RIF) actions during the shutdown that have fired thousands of federal workers.
Meanwhile, reports of private Senate negotiations continue and Majority Leader Thune said the Senate may remain in session over the November 8 and 9 weekend to work toward ending the shutdown.
