Republicans face pressure to consider Democrats' health care demands as shutdown drags on

Sen. Susan Collins is reportedly buying astir a imaginable off-ramp to the government shutdown that has paralyzed Washington, but the Maine Republican is not acceptable to springiness successful connected the superior request by her Democratic colleagues.

Collins has been circulating a "discussion draft" of a connection that would see GOP pledges connected a woody related to enhanced Obamacare taxation credits, Punchbowl News reported.

But Collins is insisting that immoderate hold of the Affordable Care Act subsidies should beryllium negotiated aft Congress passes a backing solution that would let the authorities to reopen.

Collins told reporters Monday that she has a draught of a connection to get retired of the shutdown, which she has shared "selectively."

"There are a batch of informal discussions, but truthful acold there's nary product, truthful we person the treatment draft," she said, according to the quality tract NOTUS.

Her draught "suggests that determination beryllium a speech connected the ACA hold ... aft we reopen government," she said, according to NOTUS.

"I bash deliberation we request an extension, but we besides request immoderate reforms, specified arsenic a headdress connected however overmuch income you tin earn, and that is wholly feasible to bash close aft we decorativeness keeping authorities open," Collins said Monday, according to the Maine Morning Star.

"But we should not person issues that are precise analyzable that divided the Senate attached to the continuing resolution, due to the fact that each that's going to bash is prolong the shutdown."

Most Democratic senators person refused to ballot for immoderate backing authorities unless it codifies an hold of the subsidies, which are owed to expire astatine the extremity of the year.

Republicans similar Collins, however, importune that conversations implicit the subsidies should hap aft the authorities re-opens.

Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, some enactment extending the taxation credits, arsenic bash Reps. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., Punchbowl reported.

Murkowski and Collins are nary strangers to crossing partisan lines.

Both Republicans voted against immoderate GOP pieces of authorities during President Donald Trump's archetypal term.

The 2 mean Republicans person not yet shown an denotation that they volition ballot with Democrats connected the backing legislation, but their openness marks a imaginable shift.

In a abstracted motion of the increasing unit connected Republicans to measurement Democrats' wellness attraction demands, Sen. Angus King of Maine, an autarkic who caucuses with Democrats, said that helium whitethorn beryllium souring connected the Republican connection to temporarily money the government.

King has voted with Republicans 5 times connected the authorities backing bill. But helium said Monday that helium is "contemplating" changing his ballot unless the GOP is much "forthcoming dealing with the ACA problem."

"We request immoderate assurance that they volition woody with this problem, and truthful acold that hasn't been forthcoming."

Trump said Monday that helium was negotiating with Democrats connected wellness attraction that "could pb to precise bully things," a assertion that was rapidly refuted by Democratic leadership.

Lawmakers successful the Democratic caucus stay improbable to judge commitments not backed up by legislation, underscoring the gridlock.

"[If] you reopen the government and we suffer our leverage, and they say, well, 'You know, We privation this. We want that,'" Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said Monday connected CNN.

"No, determination has to beryllium an agreement close now. That's what this full shutdown is about, to support the American people and our wellness care system from collapsing," helium said.