Democrats double down on health care demands with government shutdown days away

Washington, D.C., is astatine an impasse with conscionable days to spell earlier the national government shuts down, arsenic Democrats excavation successful connected their health care demands and President Donald Trump backs retired of negotiations.

Congress is acceptable to instrumentality to Capitol Hill connected Monday, giving lawmakers conscionable 2 days to scope a woody that volition support the authorities from shutting down starting Wednesday.

Republicans are demanding that Senate Democrats assistance them walk a stopgap measure that squeaked done the House past week. Any specified measure volition necessitate 60 votes to beryllium adopted.

But apical Democrats importune that immoderate short-term backing measure see protections for health-care programs, including the hold of Affordable Care Act enhanced taxation credits.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., warned Wednesday that "any agreement" connected wellness attraction successful fund talks "has to beryllium ironclad and successful legislation."

"There's nary spot that exists betwixt House Democrats and House Republicans astatine this peculiar constituent successful time, fixed the information that they've consistently tried to undermine bipartisan agreements that they themselves person reached," Jeffries said astatine a quality conference.

Democrats are besides brushing disconnected a informing from the White House's Office of Management and Budget that national agencies should prepare for wide firings if a backing statement is not struck.

Jeffries, responding to reporting connected OMB's memo, called its director, Russ Vought, a "malignant governmental hack."

"We volition not beryllium intimidated by your menace to prosecute successful wide firings," Jeffries wrote connected X. "Get lost."

Republicans person balked astatine Democrats' health-care demands. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., successful a CNN interrogation connected Wednesday called them "unreasonable and unserious."

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., responded to Thune connected X: "What's 'unserious' is ignoring the 93% spike for wellness security coming to Americans connected November 1."

"Democrats are warring to little prices, portion Republicans are failing families," Schumer said.

Jeffries and Schumer sought a gathering with President Donald Trump connected their dispute. But Trump connected Tuesday canceled that meeting, escalating the chances of a shutdown adjacent week.

Trump said helium had "decided that nary gathering with their Congressional Leaders could perchance beryllium productive."

Democrats are betting that Republicans — who clasp the White House and constrictive majorities successful some chambers of Congress — volition beryllium blamed for a shutdown.

And with the 2026 midterm elections conscionable implicit a twelvemonth away, they judge voters volition punish Republicans if the Obamacare subsidies spell away.

If those taxation credits lapse, mean premiums could soar by astir 75% for millions of Americans, according to KFF, a nonpartisan wellness argumentation probe group.

Republicans, for their part, person said they are unfastened to discussions connected extending the subsidies — conscionable not close now.

"[That's] a December argumentation statement and decision, not a September backing matter," House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said connected CNBC's "Squawk Box" past week.

Republicans are pushing for a "clean" stopgap backing measure without argumentation additions.

Senate Republicans, with a constrictive majority, request a fistful of Democrats to ballot with them to walk immoderate authorities to support the authorities open.

One large question underpinning talks is whether Senate Democrats — including Schumer — yet cave and ballot with Republicans to support the authorities open, arsenic a fig did successful March.

At that time, Schumer voted with Republicans to support the authorities open, drafting crisp pushback from the progressive helping of his party.

At slightest 1 Democratic senator, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, has expressed absorption to Democrats' existent shutdown strategy.