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1h ago

Thune Dangles ACA Talks as Senate Centrists Seek Path to Reopen Government

The GOP leader says he will discuss extending enhanced Obamacare subsidies only after Democrats supply enough votes to pass the House funding bill.

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 01: Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) (C) leads a news conference with (L-R) House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA), Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY), House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) on the Upper West Terrace of U.S. Capitol Building on October 1, 2025 in Washington, DC. The government shut down early Wednesday after Congress failed to reach a funding deal. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
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Overview

  • The federal government shut down Oct. 1 after the Senate failed to advance the House’s short-term funding bill, which would run through Nov. 21.
  • John Thune says he will negotiate on extending enhanced ACA premium subsidies if a critical mass of Democrats first backs the House stopgap, with substantive talks starting only once agencies are funded.
  • Centrist senators from both parties are conferring on the Senate floor for a bipartisan path forward, with Republicans needing 60 votes and facing a no vote from Sen. Rand Paul.
  • Some Republicans, including Sens. Mike Rounds and Lisa Murkowski, have floated a one-year extension of the enhanced subsidies as a compromise, though most in the GOP conference oppose an extension.
  • Democrats are pushing for an immediate subsidy extension and reversal of Medicaid cuts, yet they are divided over relying on leadership assurances, and Speaker Mike Johnson calls subsidy talks an extraneous issue.