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

WASHINGTON AP A deadline looming Congress charged Monday toward a federal executive shutdown as Republicans brush back Democratic demands to save robustness 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 regime running GOP leaders disclosed they could tee up a vote on a short-term spending bill that would keep the federal administration fully operational when the new budget year begins Oct It would likely be a temporary patch into mid-November House Speaker Mike Johnson disclosed the measure would include funds to boost protection for lawmakers in the wake of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk Additionally the Trump administration declared it s asking Congress for million in increased funding for the U S Marshals Utility and guard 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 reported Monday at the Capitol They will be kept safe They have measure measures now at their residence and personally We can inevitably 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 - when President Donald Trump was insisting on federal funds to build the U S -Mexico perimeter 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 reported he and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries are united in opposing any regulation that doesn t include key robustness care provisions They have particularly focused on the anticipated for skyrocketing vitality care premiums for millions of Americans if Congress fails to extend enhanced subsidies which a great number of people use to buy insurance on the Affordable Care Act exchange Those subsidies were put in place during the COVID emergency 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 announced 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 declared 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 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 authorities through Nov But congressional leaders stated a final date has not been set It s unclear if Democrats would sponsorship a temporary funding bill to avoid a regime interruption if talks were underway on the fitness care issue Jeffries issued a declaration 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 robustness clinics are closing throughout the country House Democrats will not aid 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 declared There s advocacy on both sides of the political aisle for extending tax credits that have made fitness insurance more affordable for millions of people since the COVID- pandemic But there are still differences over how to do so Democrats are threatening to vote to shut down the leadership at the end of the month if Republicans don t extend the subsidies which were first put in place in 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 wellness insurance through the Affordable Care Act Without the tax credits the cost of strength coverage next year will soar for millions The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the number of people without insurance would rise by million in and by million the following year if Congress failed to act While Schumer and Jeffries have threatened a shutdown other Democrats say they could aid a clean bill that would continue current spending as long as they had assurances from Republicans on medical care and other Democratic priorities Sen Tim Kaine D-Va commented he would vote for a stopgap bill if it s for a limited time to reach the response Thune indicated that a continuing resolution would likely not include efforts by certain 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 explained It would minimize the effectiveness of the sanctions unless we have all of our allies join us Staff writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this overview Source