Overview

• On Day 16, Senate Democrats rejected the House-passed stopgap for the tenth time, and senators departed for the weekend, pushing any resolution to at least Monday.
• Republicans’ separate push to advance the annual defense spending bill failed to reach 60 votes, with only Sens. John Fetterman, Catherine Cortez Masto, and Jeanne Shaheen crossing the aisle.
• Senate Majority Leader John Thune offered to guarantee a future vote on extending Affordable Care Act premium subsidies, an offer progressives such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dismissed without enacted legislation.
• The core dispute centers on expiring ACA subsidies that Democrats want extended before reopening, as Republicans insist the government must first be funded.
• A YouGov/The Economist poll shows the blame gap narrowing (39% blame Trump and Republicans, 33% blame Democrats), while more than 750,000 federal workers remain furloughed and November SNAP benefits face funding risk.