Congress unmoved by imminent government shutdown threat

By Thérèse Boudreaux
The Center Square

Only four days remain until the federal government runs out of money and partially shuts down, but Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress refuse to compromise on a funding stopgap.

Two competing Continuing Resolutions are on the table. Republicans’ CR would extend current government funding levels until Nov. 21, buying lawmakers time to pass all 12 annual appropriations bills for fiscal year 2026. It also includes $30 million for additional lawmaker security and $58 million for U.S. Supreme Court judges and members of the executive branch.

Despite the nonpartisan nature of the bill, which passed the House, Democrats refused to provide the necessary votes in the Senate.

They argue that a funding stopgap should address the expiring COVID-19 era expansion of the Obamacare Premium Tax Credit to prevent millions of Americans from seeing their health care premiums spike at the end of the year.

Democrats instead want to pass their own short-term CR, which would keep the government funded until Oct. 31 and includes health care-related policy rides costing up to $1.4 trillion.

Republicans have flatly refused to accept that option, with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., accusing Democrats of “hijacking” the government funding process.

“All we need is … a handful of Democrats to come across the aisle and vote to keep the government open [with] a short-term funding resolution,” Thune said. “It’s non-partisan, bipartisan. It is clean. It is simply an opportunity to give us the chance to continue to complete the appropriations process. But the Democrats have decided to take it hostage.”

President Donald Trump even cancelled negotiations talks with Democratic leaders after realizing that no meeting “could possibly be productive” given their demands.

“I mean, it’s up to them,” Trump told reporters Friday. “These people are crazy, the Democrats. So if [the government] has to shut down, it’ll have to shut down, but they’re the ones that are shutting down.”

But House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Republicans’ refusal to negotiate with Democrats means that if the government shuts down, it is not his party’s fault.

“Democrats are here in the Capitol, ready, willing, and able to sit down with anyone at any time and at any place in order to find a bipartisan path forward to fund the government, avoid a reckless Republican shutdown, and deal with the health care crisis,” Jeffries told reporters Friday. “Democrats are not going to go along to get along.”