The Senate is lining up for a Sunday vote that could finally reopen the federal government after a 40-day shutdown, with a handful of Democrats signaling they might back short-term funding if Obamacare tax credits are extended. Republicans are pushing back on plans that would keep COVID-era subsidies without income limits, arguing taxpayers should not underwrite benefits for millionaires. Key floor exchanges between leaders highlighted the political clash as air travel and federal services strain under the shutdown.
Reports suggest roughly ten Senate Democrats could support votes on spending bills and temporary funding, but their support hinges on extending Obamacare tax credits for another year. That condition has drawn firm opposition from Republicans who say any extension must be paired with real fixes and income limits. The Senate still needs 60 votes to move any funding measure, so those swing votes are suddenly very powerful.
Soon after the funding math surfaced, Senate Majority Leader John Thune pressed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer about the optics of subsidizing health care for high earners. Conservative lawmakers seized on the moment when Representative Moreno pointed out that the program imposes no income caps, exposing how the policy can funnel taxpayer dollars to the wealthy. “It does still have no income caps, so people who make $1, $2, $3 million a year,” Moreno said before Schumer interrupted him.
Schumer pushed back and insisted Democrats would add a short fix to extend the credits while leaving a future negotiation on the table. “We can’t give you a counter in writing, but it’s very simple,” Schumer said. “Because we have two sentences we would add to any proposal which would extend the ACA benefits for one year. “Once we pass the one-year fixed so people right now aren’t in difficulty, we would sit and negotiate that,” Schumer said. “The leader has said that he won’t negotiate before. We’re willing to negotiate once the credits are extended, plain and simple.”
Republicans and many conservative voters see that posture as backward: extending generous subsidies now and bargaining later means the bill stays on the backs of taxpayers. Moreno pressed the point with a sharp question about one-year subsidies reaching the very wealthy. “So for one year, people making millions of dollars would still receive these COVID-era subsidies?”
After that exchange, Schumer accused Moreno of caring about billionaires, yielded the floor and walked away, leaving the chamber with the impasse unresolved. The federal government has been closed since Oct. 1, and the shutdown has been a daily drag on services and public confidence. The Senate is expected to vote on the motion on Sunday, as leadership races the clock to restore funding and stave off further damage.
The shutdown is already causing real-world harm: air traffic controllers are working without pay while holiday travel ramps up, and the Federal Aviation Administration reduced flights by 10% at 40 major airports in response to operational strain. Many controllers are quitting or calling out, producing delays, cancellations and stranded travelers at a time when airlines should be preparing for Thanksgiving and Christmas travel. Senator Rick Scott and other Republicans have publicly demanded Democrats reopen the government and stop using federal workers and travelers as bargaining chips.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
