Senate Democrats are poised for the 10th time Thursday to reject a stopgap spending bill that would reopen the government, insisting they won’t back away from demands that Congress take up health care benefits.
The repetition of votes on the funding bill has become a daily drumbeat in Congress, underscoring how intractable the situation has become as it has been at times the only item on the agenda for the Senate floor. House Republicans have left Washington altogether. The standoff has lasted over two weeks, leaving hundreds of thousands of federal workers furloughed, even more without a guaranteed payday and Congress essentially paralyzed.
Democrats say they won’t budge until they get a guarantee on extending subsidies for health plans offered under Affordable Care Act marketplaces. They warned that millions of Americans who buy their own health insurance — such as small business owners, farmers and contractors — will see large increases when premium prices go out in the coming weeks. Looking ahead to a Nov. 1 deadline in most states, they think voters will demand that Republicans enter into serious negotiations.
Other news we’re following:
- Judge temporarily blocks firing of federal workers: Trump’s administration, for now, must stop firing workers during the government shutdown, a federal judge in San Francisco ordered on Wednesday, saying the cuts appeared to be politically motivated and were being carried out without much thought. She said she believed the evidence would ultimately show the cuts were illegal and in excess of authority.
- The CIA is conducting covert operations inside Venezuela: Trump confirmed on Wednesday that he had approved the operations and said he was weighing carrying out land operations in the country. The news comes after the U.S. military in recent weeks has carried out a series of deadly strikes against alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean, killing 27 people and destroying at least five boats. Four of those vessels originated from Venezuela.
- JD Vance decries ‘pearl clutching’ over racist text messages: Politico released messages from a Young Republican group chat that included racist language, jokes about rape and flippant commentary on gas chambers. The Young Republican National Federation, the GOP’s political organization for those ages 18 to 40, called for those involved to step down from the organization, but the vice president called the concerns “pearl clutching” and said “a kid telling a stupid joke” shouldn’t “ruin their lives.”
