Senate Democrats are increasingly at odds over how a monthlong government shutdown will end, with the ideological purity of progressive members clashing with centrists who want to reach a compromise.
The caucus spent well over two hours debating the menu of options before them as the lapse in funding stretched into its sixth week, using a Tuesday lunch to air out their disagreements and forge a path forward.
“We had a very good caucus and we’re exploring all the options,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told reporters on Tuesday afternoon.
Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), one of the rank-and-file Democrats discussing possible off-ramps with Republicans, said the conversations are “still a work in progress,” but the more centrist members in his camp appeared upbeat after the lunch.
“We had a good discussion today,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH).
Anything short of a GOP capitulation is unacceptable to some Democrats, who view the shutdown as one of their only points of leverage to extend premium Obamacare subsidies that expire at the end of the year. There has been visible frustration on the part of progressive members who want their caucus to dig in.
On Saturday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) released a blistering op-ed that warned of a great “betrayal” if Democrats cave to Republicans.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), another progressive voice, said Democrats would be being hoodwinked if they accepted the current line from Republicans, that they would negotiate over the subsidies once the government reopened.
“If they’re not going to give a commitment now, they’re not going to give a commitment later,” Murphy told the Washington Examiner. “I mean, I think we’re suckers to believe that a party that has been opposed to extending the subsidies is going to all of a sudden be supportive of it a month from now.”
So far, Senate Democrats have been largely united, with just three members voting with Republicans on a short-term spending bill that already passed the House. That includes Tuesday, when Republicans brought the bill to the floor a 14th time.
But there is a bloc of Democrats willing to entertain the olive branch extended by Republicans – a vote on the subsidies once the government reopens, with no guarantee they can become law.
The deal is particularly attractive to appropriators because Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has committed to moving forward with a bipartisan appropriations process as part of a shutdown deal.
In that scenario, Congress would pass a short-term measure linked to three full-year spending bills that have languished for weeks.
Democrats are also feeling the pressure of the shutdown, which has begun to affect food stamps and delay travel at airports nationwide.
“The cross pressures that everybody’s feeling are great, but I think there are people who realize this has gone on long enough, and there’s been enough pain inflicted on the American people, and it’s time to end it,” said Thune.
He and other Republicans have expressed cautious optimism that the shutdown could end after Tuesday’s elections in Virginia and New Jersey.
Republicans, too, have their own points of contention, chief among them the new deadline for government funding. Fiscal hawks want the bill to last as long as possible, viewing the flat spending levels as preferable. But appropriators, including some Republicans, consider that a nonstarter and are still holding out hope for a date in December.
“For me, the answer is, it’s got to be early in December,” Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) said on Tuesday.
Thune has remained publicly noncommittal on the end date, while Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) stated his preference is January to avoid the Christmastime “PTSD” that other lawmakers have over year-end fiscal cliffs.
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In the meantime, Democrats are weighing what other demands could pass muster with Republicans. Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) has signaled she could vote to reopen the government with Thune’s off-ramp, plus a working group that would negotiate a healthcare deal.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) separately is looking for a commitment from the administration that it would halt its mass layoffs for the duration of the spending bill, according to Semafor.