US Government Shutdown Extends 22 Days, Impacting Millions Amid Senate ACA Subsidy Dispute

The government shutdown has entered its fourth week (about 22 days) with Senate Democrats blocking a “clean” continuing resolution unless Affordable Care Act premium subsidies are restored. Republicans publicly insist there’s nothing to negotiate while the government is shut and say eight Democrats must back the House funding bill, even as some GOP senators grow impatient with repeated failed votes. Privately, a group of Republican senators — including John Thune, John Barrasso, Bill Cassidy, Shelley Moore Capito and Rick Scott — have met to discuss how to handle expiring ACA subsidies once funding resumes, revealing internal GOP divisions over whether to extend subsidies with limits or let them lapse. Several Republican senators hope President Trump will step in to open talks with Democrats about enhanced health-insurance premiums as a face-saving path to end the stalemate; Trump has signaled a willingness to meet. The administration’s Office of Management and Budget has moved to cut roughly 4,000 “non-essential” jobs and rescinded billions in infrastructure funding, developments Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had warned about and a federal judge has partially checked by ruling the president may not fire thousands without due-process protections.