Senate Democrats scaled back their demands to reopen the government in exchange for a one-year extension of expiring health care subsidies. Republicans rejected the offer, leaving lawmakers no closer to ending a stalemate that has shuttered the government for 38 days.
In a surprise move, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that Democrats would be willing to do so if Republicans agreed to extend the tax credits. However, Republicans called it a “nonstarter” and refused to commit to even allowing a vote on extending the subsidies.
The proposal was seen as a major concession by Democrats, who had previously demanded a permanent extension of the subsidies and other changes. Mr. Schumer framed the offer as a reasonable off-ramp to the shutdown, which has threatened to disrupt flights and food benefits across the country.
Despite this move, bipartisan talks continued on Friday with several key sticking points unresolved, including the length of the short-term funding bill. Democrats were also quietly pressing Republicans to include language in the spending bills that would reverse the mass firings of federal workers during the shutdown.
The offer from Schumer was seen as a sign of Democratic unity on addressing health care costs, but it fell flat with Republicans. As one Republican said, “Now we need to say yes and the government reopens.”
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/us/politics/shutdown-democrats-schumer-thune.html