Fresh off of the longest government shutdown on record, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (who played a major role in the length of that shutdown) hinted that another shutdown isn’t off the table in the next few weeks.
On Tuesday, Schumer did not rule out another “Schumer Shutdown” as Democrats continued to battle Republicans to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies.
During an exchange with reporters on Capitol Hill, Schumer declined to give a direct answer when reporters asked whether Democrats would again risk a government shutdown by tying federal funding to their health care demands ahead of the Jan. 30 deadline.
“Mr. Chairman, you mentioned January 1. There is also a January 30 deadline to fund the government. Do you have any expectation that Democrats might tie back to ACA like you did last time to try to get a result?” one reporter asked.
“Look, just as I said, it’s on the Republicans that we haven’t had health care done after January 1. It’s very, very hard to put it back in the bottom,” Schumer said.
When asked explicitly whether Democrats would vote to shut down the government on Jan. 30 if they fail to secure an extension, Schumer froze solid.
“As I said, the bottom line is very simple, and that is that the way to solve this problem, because the toothpaste is already out of the tube, is get it done by January 1. The Republicans, if they care so much and feel the heat, they should make sure they pass our bill,” Schumer stammered.
Take a listen to the back-and-forth:
President Donald Trump ended the longest government shutdown in U.S. history on Nov. 12 by signing a spending package that funded the government through the end of January and restored pay to affected federal workers.
However, current government funding is set to expire Jan. 30, and Congress has yet to pass any additional appropriations bills since the record-breaking shutdown ended in November, according to data from Congress.gov and the Congressional Research Service.
As part of Trump’s agreement back in November, the president signed three appropriations bills funding roughly 10% of the federal government and SNAP through the fiscal year, leaving the remaining nine bills — about 90% of federal spending — unfunded unless lawmakers pass them or approve a continuing resolution, CRS data shows.
Democrats ultimately ended the shutdown without securing their central demand, an extension of enhanced Obamacare premium tax credits.
At the time, Schumer angrily condemned the deal as a betrayal against his leadership.
“The American people have now awoken to Trump’s health care crisis,” Schumer said.
“Democrats demanded that we find a way to fix this crisis and quickly, but Republicans have refused to move an inch. So, I cannot support the Republican bill that’s on the floor because it fails to do anything of substance to fix America’s health care crisis.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune agreed to schedule a December vote on a Democratic ACA subsidies bill, an offer that House Speaker Mike Johnson has not matched.
This is an ongoing story. Check back for further updates.