Government shutdown reaches its 40th day as senators work through a crucial weekend

WASHINGTON -- The government shutdown stretched into its 40th time Sunday adjacent arsenic senators stayed successful Washington for a grueling play league hoping to find an extremity to the backing combat that has disrupted flights nationwide, threatened nutrient assistance for millions of Americans and near national workers without pay.

The Senate has truthful acold shown fewer signs of advancement implicit a play that could beryllium important for the shutdown fight. Republican leaders are hoping to clasp votes connected a caller bundle of bills that would reopen the authorities into January portion besides approving full-year backing for respective parts of government. But the indispensable Democratic enactment for that effort was acold from guaranteed.

“We’re lone a fistful of votes away” from passing a measure to reopen the government, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Saturday.

Still, Democratic leaders are pushing hard for an hold of subsidies for wellness plans offered nether the Affordable Care Act marketplace. Republicans person rejected that offer, but signaled openness to an emerging connection from a tiny radical of mean Democrats to extremity the shutdown successful speech for a aboriginal ballot connected the “Obamacare” subsidies, which marque sum much affordable.

For those enrolled successful Affordable Care Act exchanges, premiums connected mean are expected to much than treble adjacent twelvemonth if Congress allows the enhanced subsidies to lapse.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an autarkic who caucuses with Democrats, said the pledge to clasp a ballot connected extending the wellness attraction subsidies would beryllium a “wasteful gesture” unless “you person the committedness of the talker of the House that helium volition enactment it and that the president of the United States volition motion it.”

President Donald Trump has made wide helium is improbable to compromise immoderate clip soon. He pressed Republicans again implicit the play to get escaped of the Senate's filibuster rules that forestall the enclosure from advancing connected astir authorities unless determination is enactment from 60 senators.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and others, negotiating among themselves and with immoderate rank-and-file Republicans, person been discussing bills that would wage for parts of authorities — nutrient aid, veterans programs and the legislative branch, among different things — and widen backing for everything other until December oregon January. The statement would lone travel with the committedness of a aboriginal wellness attraction vote, alternatively than a warrant of extended subsidies.

It was unclear whether capable Democrats would enactment specified a plan. Even with a deal, Trump appears improbable to enactment an hold of the wellness benefits. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., besides said this past week that helium would not perpetrate to a wellness vote.

Republican leaders lone request 5 further votes to money the government, and the radical progressive successful the talks has ranged from 10 to 12 Democratic senators.

Some Republicans person said they are unfastened to extending the COVID-19-era taxation credits arsenic premiums could skyrocket for millions of people, but they privation caller limits connected who tin person the subsidies. They lined up Saturday to instrumentality to the Senate level and reason that subsidies for the plans should beryllium routed done individuals.

“We’re going to regenerate this breached strategy with thing that is really amended for the consumer,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said.

Trump wants Republicans to extremity the shutdown rapidly and scrap the filibuster, which requires 60 Senate votes for astir legislation, truthful they tin bypass Democrats altogether. Vice President JD Vance, a erstwhile Ohio senator, endorsed the thought successful an online station Saturday, saying Republicans who privation to support the filibuster are “wrong.”

Republicans person rejected Trump’s call, and Thune is eyeing a bipartisan bundle that mirrors the connection the mean Democrats person been sketching out. What Thune, who has refused to negotiate, mightiness committedness connected wellness attraction is unknown.

The bundle would regenerate the House-passed authorities that the Democrats person rejected 14 times since the shutdown began Oct. 1. The existent measure would lone widen authorities backing until Nov. 21.

A trial ballot connected caller authorities could travel successful the adjacent fewer days if Thune decides to determination forward.

Then Democrats would person a important choice: Keep warring for a meaningful woody connected extending the subsidies that expire successful January, portion prolonging the symptom of the shutdown? Or ballot to reopen the authorities and anticipation for the champion arsenic Republicans committedness an eventual wellness attraction vote, but not a guaranteed outcome.

Schumer connected Saturday persisted successful arguing that Republicans should judge a one-year hold of the subsidies earlier negotiating the aboriginal of the taxation credits.

“Doing thing is derelict due to the fact that radical volition spell bankrupt, radical volition suffer insurance, radical volition get sicker,” Schumer said successful a level speech. “That’s what volition hap if this Congress fails to act.”

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Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim, Joey Cappelletti, Mary Clare Jalonick and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.