For the first time since the government shutdown began over a month ago, senators convened on Saturday to negotiate a bipartisan resolution to end the 39-day impasse.
The rare weekend session underscores the mounting crisis affecting federal workers, airlines, and millions of Americans relying on SNAP benefits. However, progress remains elusive as President Donald Trump doubled down on his refusal to compromise, proposing that hundreds of billions of dollars currently directed to insurance companies through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, be sent directly to Americans instead.
Trump also called for eliminating the filibuster on Truth Social, declaring that Republicans “must blow up” the procedural rule to advance conservative policy priorities including voter ID requirements, regardless of whether a shutdown deal is reached.
Why It Matters
The extended shutdown has become the longest government shutdown in American history, with tangible consequences mounting daily. Federal workers remain unpaid, airlines have canceled flights, air traffic controllers lack pay, and critical assistance programs like SNAP face delays. The crisis threatens military personnel compensation and essential government operations.
Trump has reportedly blamed the shutdown for recent Republican electoral losses, including defeats in New York City’s mayoral election and gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey. Recent polling shows over half of voters believe Trump and congressional Republicans bear greater responsibility for the shutdown than Democrats.
The central dispute over Affordable Care Act tax credits carries significant stakes for vulnerable Americans. Democrats are demanding assurances that subsidies allowing low-income individuals to afford healthcare will continue for at least another year. Trump’s proposal to redirect ACA funding directly to individuals rather than insurance companies remains unclear in its implementation and could fundamentally alter how Americans access subsidized healthcare.
What To Know
In his Truth Social post Saturday morning, Trump wrote that money “currently being sent to money sucking Insurance Companies” should be “sent directly to the people so that they can purchase their own, much better, healthcare, and have money left over.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota, expressed hope for swift action, stating he planned to keep the Senate in session “until the shutdown has ended” and that “ideally, it would be great to set it up so we could vote today.” Vice President JD Vance amplified Trump’s filibuster message, declaring that Republicans who want to keep the procedural rule are “wrong.”
The shutdown centers on the extension of COVID-era tax credits for the ACA. Democrats, led by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, have demanded a one-year extension of these subsidies. Republicans have rejected this proposal, with Trump exploring alternatives including his direct-payment proposal and the “nuclear option” of eliminating the filibuster—a move congressional Republicans have largely resisted.
A small group of moderate Democrats, led by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, has emerged as a potential bridge to resolution. These moderates have been discussing alternative proposals with rank-and-file Republicans that would fund specific government operations—food aid, veterans programs, and the legislative branch—while extending overall funding through December or January. These proposals would promise only a future healthcare vote rather than guarantee extended subsidies.
Republican leaders need just five additional votes to fund the government, and the moderate Democratic negotiating group ranges from 10 to 12 senators, suggesting a potential path forward. Some Republicans have signaled openness to extending tax credits due to concerns that premiums could skyrocket without such protections, though they seek new limits on subsidy recipients and propose routing assistance directly to individuals.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday: “The Democrats are cracking like dogs on the Shutdown because they are deathly afraid that I am making progress with the Republicans on TERMINATING THE FILIBUSTER! Whether we make a Deal or not, THE REPUBLICANS MUST “BLOW UP” THE FILIBUSTER, AND APPROVE HUNDREDS OF LONG SOUGHT, BUT NEVER GOTTEN, POLICY WINS LIKE, AS JUST A SMALL EXAMPLE, VOTER ID (IDENTIFICATION). Only a LOSER would not agree to doing this!”
Senator Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, wrote on X on Friday: “Democrats really need to search their consciences and ask themselves whether they are willing to require ‘planes falling out of the sky’ before they vote to pay federal employees, including air traffic controllers. Or better yet, they can simply vote to reopen the government.”
Representative Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat, wrote on X on Friday: “It would cost $38 billion to extend ACA credits next year and prevent millions of people from losing their healthcare. Reminder: Trump sent $40 billion to Argentina for no reason.”
Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, wrote on X on Friday: “When a WI woman asked Sen Johnson what options she’d have without the ACA if she tested positive for the genetic pre-existing condition that killed her mom, he said he would force her back into the high-risk pools that made anyone with pre-existing conditions pay double for care.”
What Happens Next?
Senate Republicans and Democrats continue debating compromise deals to end the standoff, with a preliminary vote potentially coming as early as next week.
Reporting from the Associated Press contributed to this article.
