Overview
- The House-passed short-term funding bill has failed 13 times in the Senate as Democrats withhold votes without an extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits.
- CBO projects a 1.0% to 2.0% hit to fourth-quarter real GDP growth and estimates $7 billion to $14 billion in unrecoverable output depending on how long the shutdown lasts.
- SNAP payments are set to halt on Nov. 1, with more than two dozen states suing USDA, and Senate Democrats’ standalone SNAP/WIC measure was blocked by Republican leaders.
- Rank-and-file senators say bipartisan conversations have increased, but leadership negotiations remain stalled as the Senate prepares to leave for the weekend, the president travels in Asia, and the House stays out of session.
- Pressure is intensifying with Obamacare open enrollment starting this weekend, off-year elections on Tuesday, and unresolved debate over how long the next stopgap should run beyond the House bill’s Nov. 21 date.