In the Senate, Democrats have used a filibuster 12 times to block action on a House-passed temporary funding bill. GOP leaders have 55 votes to proceed — but they need 60. No votes have changed since the first Senate vote on September 19.
“I think the Democrats are stuck because they put themselves into a box,” said U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno. “There’s always hope that we get five more Democrats to come to their senses.”
GOP senators said there wasn’t much talk of strategy at their Rose Garden lunch, where Trump blamed Democrats for the shutdown, which shows no signs of ending anytime soon.
“We’ve got to get our government open, and the Democrats are trying to keep it closed,” Trump said Tuesday, as the funding impasse reached 21 days.
The two sides remain deadlocked not only over policy — but also procedure. Republicans say they won’t negotiate with Democrats about health insurance matters until Democrats vote to reopen the government.
Democrats say they won’t vote to reopen the government until Republicans agree to extend health insurance subsidies for millions of Americans who get coverage through the Obama health law exchanges.
“It’s time for Senate Democrats to put people over politics and vote to reopen the government,” said U.S. Rep. Bob Latta, R-Bowling Green.
Over in the House, Republicans like Latta haven’t been spending much time at all on Capitol Hill, as this is the fifth straight week that legislative business was canceled. House GOP leaders say they won’t bring lawmakers back to work until Senate Democrats accept a plan to fund the government into November.
“It is super quiet,” U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes, D-Akron, said while walking through the Capitol, where the House has not held a vote since September 19. There have been no House committee hearings since September 18.
“The Republicans have gone on vacation,” Sykes said, echoing a popular attack line from Democrats, as they press the GOP to extend health insurance subsidies which are due to expire at the end of this year.
“We are fighting to guarantee healthcare subsidies are extended,” said Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Cincinnati (whose district includes Warren County).
The stalemate on Capitol Hill has some Republicans calling for unorthodox solutions. Moreno continues to say it’s time to end the Senate filibuster — an idea not backed by many in his own party.
“That’s not a step I think we should take,” Husted said as he left the Senate floor on Monday. “There’s plenty of ways to solve this.”
But so far, a deal has proven elusive — and there is little evidence that senators are engaged in any kind of bipartisan negotiations.
“Let’s get back to work,” Husted said.
No one is quite sure when that’s going to finally happen, as thousands of federal workers remain idled, wondering when their next paycheck is going to arrive.
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