Senators to work through the weekend on shutdown as Republicans and Democrats are still far apart

WASHINGTON -- Senators are moving done the play for the archetypal clip since the authorities shutdown began much than a period ago, hoping to find bipartisan solution that has truthful acold eluded them arsenic government workers person gone unpaid, airlines person been forced to cancel flights and SNAP benefits person been delayed for millions of Americans.

As the play league was acceptable to statesman Saturday, it was unclear if Republicans and Democrats could marque immoderate headway toward reopening the authorities and breaking a partisan impasse that has present lasted 39 days. Republicans connected Friday rejected an connection from Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to reopen the authorities and widen expiring wellness attraction subsidies for a year, with Thune calling it a “nonstarter.”

Republicans person refused to prosecute with Democrats who are demanding that GOP leaders and President Donald Trump negociate an extension of the Affordable Care Act taxation credits that expire astatine the extremity of the year. But GOP leaders person signaled an openness to an emerging connection from a tiny radical of mean Democrats to reopen the authorities successful speech for a ballot connected wellness attraction astatine a aboriginal date.

New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who is starring the talks among moderates, said Friday evening that Democrats “need different way forward” aft Republicans rejected Schumer's offer. “We're moving connected it,” she said.

As leaders of the 2 parties disagreed, the tiny radical of Democrats led by Shaheen continued to negociate among themselves and with immoderate rank-and-file Republicans connected a woody that would extremity the shutdown.

The radical has been discussing for weeks a ballot for a bid of 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 3 yearly spending bills that would apt beryllium included are the merchandise of bipartisan negotiations that person continued done the shutdown.

But the contours of that statement would lone travel with the committedness of a aboriginal wellness attraction vote, alternatively than a warrant that Affordable Care Act subsidies are extended by the extremity of the year. Many Democrats person said that’s unacceptable.

Still, 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.

As those Democrats talked, Republicans held retired anticipation that they could marque a woody to extremity the shutdown and aboriginal negociate a wellness attraction compromise. Some Republicans person said they are unfastened to extending the COVID-19-era taxation credits arsenic premiums could skyrocket for millions of Americans, but they privation to acceptable caller limits connected who tin person the subsidies.

“We person had truly bully discussions with a batch of the Democrats," said South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds.

Trump urged Republicans astatine a White House meal Wednesday to extremity the shutdown rapidly and scrap the legislative filibuster, which requires 60 Senate votes for astir legislation, truthful they tin bypass Democrats altogether.

“I americium wholly successful favour of terminating the filibuster, and we would beryllium backmost to enactment wrong 10 minutes aft that ballot took place,” Trump said Friday.

Republicans person emphatically rejected Trump’s call, and Thune has alternatively been eyeing a bipartisan bundle that mirrors the connection the mean Democrats person been sketching out. But it unclear what Thune, who has refused to negotiate, would committedness connected wellness care.

The bundle would regenerate the House-passed authorities that the Democrats person rejected 14 times since the shutdown began. The existent measure would lone widen authorities backing until Nov. 21, a day that is rapidly approaching aft six weeks of inaction.

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 prime to make: Do they support warring for a meaningful woody connected extending the subsidies that expire successful January, portion prolonging the symptom of the shutdown? Or bash they ballot to reopen the authorities and anticipation for the champion arsenic Republicans committedness an eventual wellness attraction vote, but not a guaranteed outcome?

After a caucus gathering Thursday, astir Democrats suggested they would proceed to clasp retired for Trump and Republican leaders to hold to negotiations.

Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said Democrats are “obviously not unanimous” but “without thing connected wellness care, the ballot is precise improbable to succeed.”

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an Independent who caucuses with the Democrats, said they request to basal beardown aft overwhelming wins for Democrats connected Election Day and request an hold of the subsidies alternatively than conscionable a promised vote.

People “cast their ballot against Trumpism,” Sanders said. "And portion of that ballot was to accidental to Democrats, ’Hold tight, bash not cave in, bash not unit america to wage treble oregon triple for the wellness attraction premiums.'”

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Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim, Kevin Freking, Joey Cappelletti, Stephen Groves and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.