Overview

• The Senate prepared to vote again Wednesday on rival funding bills after five failed attempts, leaving the government in its eighth day of a partial shutdown.
• Democratic leaders insist on a permanent or multi‑year extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits, with Hakeem Jeffries labeling a one‑year bipartisan proposal a nonstarter.
• Republican leaders push a clean short‑term funding bill, yet cracks have appeared as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized letting subsidies expire and senators such as Josh Hawley and Thom Tillis signaled openness to an extension debate.
• President Trump briefly suggested willingness to discuss subsidies before conditioning any deal on reopening the government, while OMB raised doubts about automatic back pay for furloughed workers.
• Real‑world strain is rising with reports of air traffic delays and unpaid essential staff, as polling shows broad support for extending subsidies and KFF and CBO warn of sharp premium increases and coverage losses if credits expire.