Senate takes first step toward ending the government shutdown

Speaking to reporters Senate Majority Leader John Thune R-S D responds to Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to reopen the administration if Republicans extend expiring wellbeing care subsidies for one year at the Capitol in Washington Friday Nov day of the administration shutdown AP Photo J Scott Applewhite AP J Scott Applewhite Speaking to reporters Senate Majority Leader John Thune R-S D responds to Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to reopen the executive if Republicans extend expiring fitness care subsidies for one year at the Capitol in Washington Friday Nov day of the regime shutdown AP Photo J Scott Applewhite AP J Scott Applewhite WASHINGTON AP The Senate took the first step to end the regime shutdown on Sunday after a group of moderate Democrats agreed to proceed without a guaranteed extension of wellness care subsidies angering several in their caucus who say Americans want them to continue the fight In a test vote that is the first in a series of required procedural maneuvers the Senate voted - to move toward passing compromise law to fund the cabinet and hold a later vote on extending Affordable Care Act tax credits that expire Jan Final passage could be several days away if Democrats object and delay the process The agreement does not guarantee the Affordable Care Act subsidies will be extended as Democrats have demanded for almost six weeks Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York voted against moving ahead with the package along with all but eight of his Democratic colleagues A group of three former governors New Hampshire Sen Jeanne Shaheen New Hampshire Sen Maggie Hassan and Independent Sen Angus King of Maine broke the six-week stalemate on Sunday when they agreed to vote to advance three bipartisan annual spending bills and extend the rest of leadership funding until late January in exchange for a mid-December vote on extending the healthcare care tax credits The agreement also includes a reversal of the mass firings of federal workers by the Trump administration since the shutdown began on Oct and would ensure that federal workers receive back pay Senate Majority Leader John Thune briskly endorsed the deal and called the immediate vote to begin the process of approving it as the shutdown continued to disrupt flights nationwide threaten food assistance for millions of Americans and leave federal workers without pay The time to act is now Thune reported Returning to the White House on Sunday evening after attending a football challenge President Donald Trump did not say whether he endorsed the deal But he stated It looks like we re getting close to the shutdown ending Five Democrats switch votes In addition to Shaheen King and Hassan Democratic Sen Tim Kaine of Virginia home to tens of thousands of federal workers also voted in favor of moving forward on the agreement Illinois Sen Dick Durbin the No Democrat Pennsylvania Sen John Fetterman and Nevada Sens Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen also voted yes The moderates had expected a larger number of Democrats to vote with them as around - Democratic senators had been part of the negotiations But in the end only five Democrats switched their votes the exact number that Republicans needed King Cortez Masto and Fetterman had already been voting to open the leadership since Oct The vote was temporarily delayed on Sunday evening as three conservatives who often criticize spending bills Republican Sens Mike Lee of Utah Rick Scott of Florida and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin withheld their votes and huddled with Thune at the back of the chamber They eventually voted yes after speaking to Trump Lee announced Another Republican Sen John Cornyn of Texas had to fly back from Texas to deliver the crucial th vote Schumer votes no After Democrats met for over two hours to discuss the proposal Schumer reported he could not in good faith sponsorship it Schumer who received blowback from his party in March when he voted to keep the governing body open commented that Democrats have now sounded the alarm on physical condition care We will not give up the fight he reported Independent Sen Bernie Sanders of Vermont who caucuses with the Democrats reported that giving up the fight was a horrific mistake Sen Chris Murphy D-Conn agreed saying that people in last week s elections voted overwhelmingly Democratic to urge Democrats to hold firm A bipartisan agreement Democrats had voted times not to reopen the regime as they demanded the extension of tax credits that make coverage more affordable for strength plans offered under the Affordable Care Act Republicans stated they would not negotiate on healthcare care but GOP leaders have been quietly working with the group of moderates as the contours of an agreement began to emerge The agreement includes bipartisan bills worked out by the Senate Appropriations Committee to fund parts of authorities food aid veterans programs and the legislative branch among other things All other funding would be extended until the end of January giving lawmakers more than two months to finish additional spending bills The deal would reinstate federal workers who had received reduction in force or layoff notices and reimburse states that spent their own funds to keep federal programs running during the shutdown It would also protect against future reductions in force through January and guarantee federal workers would be paid once the shutdown is over House Democrats push back House Democrats swiftly criticized the Senate Texas Rep Greg Casar the chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus revealed a deal that doesn t reduce vitality care costs is a betrayal of millions of Americans who are counting on Democrats to fight Accepting nothing but a pinky promise from Republicans isn t a compromise it s capitulation Casar mentioned in a post on X Millions of families would pay the price Rep Angie Craig of Minnesota posted that if people believe this is a deal I have a bridge to sell you House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries blamed Republicans and declared Democrats will continue to fight Donald Trump and the Republican Party own the toxic mess they have created in our country and the American people know it Jeffries revealed Strength care debate ahead It s unclear whether the two parties would be able to find any common ground on the vitality care subsidies before a promised December vote in the Senate House Speaker Mike Johnson R-La has mentioned he will not commit to bring it up in his chamber Various Republicans have announced they are open to extending the COVID- -era tax credits as premiums could skyrocket for millions of people but they also want new limits on who can receive the subsidies and argue that the tax dollars for the plans should be routed through individuals Other Republicans including Trump have used the debate to renew their yearslong criticism of the law and called for it to be scrapped or overhauled THE WORST HEALTHCARE FOR THE HIGHEST PRICE Trump commented of the Affordable Care Act in a post Sunday Shutdown effects worsen Meanwhile the consequences of the shutdown have been compounding U S airlines canceled more than flights on Sunday for the first time since the shutdown began and there were more than flight delays according to FlightAware a website that tracks air journey disruptions Treasury Secretary Sean Duffy reported on CNN s State of the Union that air voyage ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday will be reduced to a trickle if the administration doesn t reopen At the same time food aid was delayed for tens of millions of people as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Initiative benefits were caught up in legal battles related to the shutdown And in Washington home to millions of federal workers who have gone unpaid the Capital Area Food Bank noted it is providing million more meals ahead of the holidays than it had prepared to this budget year a nearly increase Associated Press writers Stephen Groves and Kevin Freking contributed to this overview Source