Overview

• The shutdown has entered its second week with a standoff over enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits set to expire on December 31, 2025.
• House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries rejected a one-year extension as a “non-starter,” saying Democrats want a permanent renewal of the enhanced credits.
• Rep. Jen Kiggans’s bipartisan bill (H.R. 5145) would extend the credits through 2026 and has about a dozen Democratic co-sponsors alongside 13 Republicans, with Rep. Tom Suozzi leading Democrats backing the measure.
• Republican leaders Mike Johnson and John Thune say they will not negotiate on subsidies until the government reopens, with Thune calling Democrats’ demands unrealistic.
• With open enrollment beginning November 1, experts warn insurers could set much higher 2026 premiums if credits lapse, and KFF polling shows broad public support for extending the subsidies.