Overview
- On Day 40 of the shutdown, senators prepared to take an initial procedural vote Sunday on a package combining a short-term funding bill with several full-year appropriations measures.
- Negotiators are discussing a promise for a December Senate vote on extending enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits, with no guarantee the House will take up the issue.
- President Donald Trump renewed calls to end Obamacare and redirect subsidy funds directly to individuals or HSA-style accounts, a position praised by Republicans including Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy.
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the White House will not present Trump’s direct-payment concept in the Senate before a funding bill passes, underscoring a reopen-first stance.
- Democrats signaled mixed views on accepting only a future vote on ACA credits, even as shutdown impacts widen with flight reductions and delayed SNAP benefits for millions.