Shutdown talk heats up as Democrats insist on stopping health care cuts

WASHINGTON (AP) – A deadline looming, Congress charged Monday toward a federal government shutdown as Republicans brush back Democratic demands to save health care funding from cutbacks, while Democrats are flexing a newfound willingness to play hardball, even if it means closing offices and services.

Republican leaders are ready to call the Democrats’ bluff, possibly as soon as this week, with a test vote before the end-of-the-month deadline to keep government running.

GOP leaders said they could tee up a vote on a short-term spending bill that would keep the federal government fully operational when the new budget year begins Oct. 1. It would likely be a temporary patch, into mid-November.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said the measure would include funds to boost security for lawmakers in the wake of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Additionally, the Trump administration said it’s asking Congress for $58 million in increased funding for the U.S. Marshals Service and security for the Supreme Court. And the Senate is considering its own proposals.

“I want everyone within the sound of my voice to understand: Members of Congress are safe,” Johnson, R-La., said Monday at the Capitol. “They will be kept safe. They have security measures now at their residence and personally. We can always enhance and do more and do better.”

In the past budget battles, it has been Republicans who’ve been willing to engage in shutdown threats as a way to focus attention on their priority demands. That was the situation during the nation’s longest shutdown, during the winter of 2018-19, when President Donald Trump was insisting on federal funds to build the U.S.-Mexico border wall.

This time, however, Democrats, facing intense pressure from their base of supporters to stand up to Trump and refuse to fund the administration’s policies, are taking a tougher position – even if it means halting funds needed to run federal offices.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said he and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries are united in opposing any legislation that doesn’t include key health care provisions.

They have particularly focused on the potential for skyrocketing health care premiums for millions of Americans if Congress fails to extend enhanced subsidies, which many people use to buy insurance on the Affordable Care Act exchange. Those subsidies were put in place during the COVID crisis, but are set to expire.

Schumer contends that Republicans and Trump will be held responsible if they don’t negotiate a bipartisan deal.

“If one side refuses to negotiate, they are the ones causing the shutdown,” Schumer said.

Trump, though, called on Republicans to stay united, and sought to pin the blame for any shutdown on Democrats.

“In times like these, Republicans have to stick TOGETHER to fight back against the Radical Left Democrat demands, and vote ‘YES!'” Trump wrote on social media.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said that if the House acted, he would prefer senators also vote this week before they leave town. They are scheduled to be out of session all next week. The fiscal year draws to a close Sept. 30, and Congress must act by then to avoid a partial shutdown.

The top Republicans on the Senate and House Appropriations Committees have been urging that the stopgap spending bill fund the government through Nov. 20. But congressional leaders said a final date has not been set.

It’s unclear if Democrats would support a temporary funding bill to avoid a government interruption if talks were underway on the health care issue.

Jeffries issued a statement in response to Trump’s social media comments, saying that insurance premiums are skyrocketing and millions of Americans are losing coverage. He also warned that hospitals, nursing homes and community-based health clinics are closing throughout the country.

“House Democrats will not support a partisan Republican spending bill that continues to gut the healthcare of the American people. That’s what this shutdown fight is all about, Mr. President,” Jeffries said.

There’s support on both sides of the political aisle for extending tax credits that have made health insurance more affordable for millions of people since the COVID-19 pandemic. But there are still differences over how to do so.

Democrats are threatening to vote to shut down the government at the end of the month if Republicans don’t extend the subsidies, which were first put in place in 2021 and extended a year later when they controlled Congress and the White House. The tax credits go to low- and middle-income people who purchase health insurance through the Affordable Care Act.

Without the tax credits, the cost of health coverage next year will soar for millions. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the number of people without insurance would rise by 2.2 million in 2026, and by 3.7 million the following year, if Congress failed to act.

While Schumer and Jeffries have threatened a shutdown, other Democrats say they could support a “clean” bill that would continue current spending, as long as they had assurances from Republicans on health care and other Democratic priorities.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said he would vote for a stopgap bill “if it’s for a limited time to reach the solution.”

Thune indicated that a continuing resolution would likely not include efforts by some Republicans to include sanctions on countries that import oil from Russia.

“I hope it’s ripe here soon, but I think one of the things the president is trying to ensure happens before we do secondary sanctions is that our European allies join us,” Thune said. “It would minimize the effectiveness of the sanctions unless we have all of our allies join us.”