Senate Democrats spent Wednesday touting their big Election Day wins and President Donald Trump’s reaction. Today, we’ll find out whether that will derail bipartisan talks to end the 37-day-long government shutdown.
Democratic senators are scheduled to hold a special caucus meeting later Thursday. Senators and aides believe the session will determine whether enough Democrats will back an emerging deal to reopen the government and vote on a bill extending expiring Obamacare subsidies.
Many Senate Democrats feel emboldened to continue the fight, pointing to the election victories, as well as Trump’s acknowledgment that the shutdown has hurt Republicans politically more than their party.
At the same time, Democrats involved in the bipartisan talks believe that even just a guaranteed vote on Obamacare subsidies could entice enough Republicans to strike a bipartisan compromise that gets 60 votes.
“The goal of all Democrats is to extend the tax credits for all Americans. It’s a very simple goal,” said Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), who wants an Obamacare deal before voting to end the shutdown. “How we get there in the face of Trump’s opposition remains to be seen.”
Speaker Mike Johnson, though, has not committed to a vote in the House on Obamacare subsidies, which is giving some Democrats pause.
It only takes a handful of Democrats to vote to reopen the government. As we reported on Wednesday, senators and aides involved in the bipartisan talks came away from a closed-door huddle believing there are still a dozen or so Democrats willing to stay the course.
Those Democrats, however, were tight-lipped on Wednesday, preferring to let their party’s election wins marinate. Other Democrats sought to convince their colleagues to hold out for a better deal.
“I think we’re in an enormously strong position right now to make a big difference for the people we represent,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said. “Nobody in my state whose premiums are doubling cares about a failed vote that has some relevance for a future election… The American people told us last night to use our power to fight for the things we believe in.”
The Senate is scheduled to have floor votes later in the day than usual for a Thursday. Senate Majority Leader John Thune hasn’t decided yet whether to keep the chamber in session through the weekend. Thune previously said he’d need to see real signs of progress in order to keep senators in town.
In the meantime, more shutdown-induced pain is coming. The Department of Transportation announced a 10% reduction in flight capacity at 40 major airports beginning Friday. This will snarl air travel nationwide.
Fault lines. The debate among Senate Democrats is the same as it’s always been — whether to accept a commitment for a vote rather than a pre-negotiated Obamacare deal with both Trump and the GOP-run House.
Senate Republicans remain adamant in their view that Democrats want something that GOP leaders simply cannot deliver.
“We’ve made it very clear that you open up [the] government and then we can work on a solution that will actually stand the test of time, including one that our president could perhaps consider supporting and convincing the House to support,” said Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), who’s involved in the bipartisan talks.
But Democrats are pointing to Trump’s belief that the shutdown has hurt Republicans more than Democrats as evidence that it’s entirely possible Trump wants to end the crisis by cutting a health care deal with Democrats and making Hill Republicans vote for it.
It’s why Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries re-upped their request for a bipartisan meeting with Trump.
“Trump may not be able to bully them on the filibuster, but he can absolutely muster 10 votes for anything he wants,” Murphy added.
