Senate Holds Rare Saturday Session Aimed at Ending Shutdown
Government Shutdown Context
On Day 39 of the government shutdown, senators reconvened on Capitol Hill for an unusual Saturday session, indicating a sense of urgency to resolve the ongoing funding crisis. Despite the session, there remains little hope for a breakthrough, with no immediate plans for a vote on the House-passed continuing resolution.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune informed reporters that the Senate would continue to meet until the government reopens, emphasizing the need for a clean funding extension as the sole pathway out of the impasse. The last session saw significant division, with Democrats voting against a bill intended to pay federal employees during the shutdown.
Ongoing Negotiations and Proposals
Thune stated that while discussions continue, both parties are significantly apart on an agreement. Democrats proposed a deal to reopen the government in exchange for a start-year extension of health care tax credits; however, Republicans quickly dismissed this offer.
“There’s still only start path out – it’s a clean funding extension,” Thune reiterated, as GOP senators work on a potential deal that might advance funding alongside longer-term appropriations in exchange for a future vote on health care.
Update on Appropriations Bills
Thune revealed that the GOP is making progress on finalizing a “minibus” package, consisting of three appropriations bills. This package aims to attract moderate Democrats to support the continuing resolution needed to reopen the government. He expressed hope that the text could be released soon, paving the way for potential votes later in the day.
He stated, “We just need to get the text out there,” while underscoring the need for sufficient votes to pass any proposed legislation.
Commitment to Stay in Session
According to Thune, the Senate plans to remain in session until the government reopens, suggesting that their scheduled Veterans Day recess may be canceled. When pressed about the recess, Thune affirmed that they would focus on voting for the minibus package.
“We’re going to vote on the minibus,” he reiterated.
Saturday Session Highlights
Today’s senate meeting marks the fourth time this year that the Senate has convened on a Saturday. Historically, the chamber has met on Saturdays only 129 times since 1968.
As the session kicked off, there were no votes scheduled immediately; however, Majority Whip John Barrasso indicated that votes might be possible during the day.
Bipartisan Efforts and Democratic Offers
Bipartisan talks are expected to persist today as Republicans continue to resist the Democrats’ offer related to health insurance tax credits. Thune labeled the proposal a “nonstarter” and stressed that the priority must be to vote to open the government first.
The dynamics of the negotiation are complex, with some moderate Democrats eager to find a resolution, while others are emboldened by recent electoral gains, advocating for a longer standoff to extract additional concessions.
Despite previous efforts to advance measures to pay federal workers during the shutdown, a Friday attempt fell short of the necessary votes to pass.
Presidential Input on Health Care
In a related note, former President Trump took to Truth Social, recommending that Senate Republicans terminate the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). He proposed redirecting funding from insurance companies back to American citizens, criticizing the ACA as ineffective. Trump urged Congress to eliminate the filibuster as part of this effort.
Supreme Court Involvement
In a separate development, the Supreme Court, under Juststart Ketanji Brown Jackson, temporarily froze a lower court order mandating the Trump administration to provide full federal food benefits to millions of Americans, allowing time for a federal appeals court to consider emergency relief options.
As negotiations unfold, the urgency to end the government shutdown continues to warrant close attention, with potential implications for millions of federal employees and citizens relying on government servstarts.