Republican stance shifts? Trump expresses "willingness to negotiate with Democrats" as the U.S. government shutdown enters its second week.
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As the partial U.S. government shutdown entered its second week, President Trump’s statement about negotiating with Democrats on healthcare brought a hint of possibility for breaking the budget deadlock. However, his subsequent demand for “work resumption first, negotiations later,” along with deep divisions between the two parties on core demands, left the outlook full of uncertainty.
According to media reports on Monday, Trump stated at the White House that he was in talks with Democrats but did not name any specific lawmakers. Trump claimed:
We are talking to the Democrats, and some very good things may happen in healthcare. I am a Republican, but I want to see healthcare improved, even more so than the Democrats.
However, a few hours later, Trump said he would only be willing to negotiate after the government reopens. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer responded in a statement:
Trump's claim is not true, but if President Trump and the Republicans are ultimately ready to sit down and achieve results for American families on healthcare, Democrats will participate and be ready to make it happen.
Democrats believe they will not support the bill unless it addresses the Affordable Care Act subsidy issue expiring at the end of 2025, and the Medicaid cuts implemented in the second-term spending bill signed by Trump.
Currently, because the two parties cannot reach agreement on a temporary funding bill, the government shutdown continues. The deadlock has left hundreds of thousands of federal employees on unpaid leave, and with U.S. federal employee and military payday approaching on October 10 and October 15, the political pressure facing lawmakers is gradually increasing.
Healthcare Subsidies Become the Core Issue
On Monday, the Senate for the fifth time rejected a temporary funding bill passed by the House of Representatives, with a vote of 52-42, failing to meet the required 60-vote threshold.
Although the Republican Party controls both the House and Senate, they need the support of at least several Democrats in order to reach the 60 votes required to pass the spending bill in the Senate.
The U.S. Democratic Party insists that any temporary spending bill must include clauses for Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies.
These subsidies will expire at the end of 2025. Democrats are also demanding the repeal of Medicaid cuts in Trump's signature second-term spending bill.
To break the deadlock, Republicans are adopting a "carrot-and-stick" strategy.
On one hand, they hint at a commitment to discuss the issue of ACA subsidies in the future and are trying to pressure senators representing large numbers of federal employees, such as Gary Peters of Michigan, Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, and Mark Warner and Tim Kaine of Virginia.
According to media reports citing insiders, Republicans are attempting to attract Senate Democrats to agree to temporary measures by bundling some regular, full-year spending bills with temporary appropriations.
These negotiation bills may include spending levels higher than those demanded by the Trump administration, allowing Democrats to claim a certain degree of victory.
On the other hand, the White House is also sending out strong signals.
Trump’s economic adviser Hassett warned in a media interview Monday that if the Senate vote fails, the White House office team will soon take “tough measures” and hinted that this might accelerate plans to lay off U.S. government workers.
Trump previously stated that once the government shuts down, he would take the opportunity to fire thousands of U.S. federal employees who would otherwise be just “on unpaid leave.”
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