Democratic leader Schumer agrees to end government paralysis

The Senate’s top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, proposed a new plan to Republican lawmakers on Friday that would allow the U.S. government to reopen after a shutdown that began Oct. 1.

Schumer’s proposal calls on Democrats to agree to pass a so-called clean resolution that would provide short-term funding for government operations.

In exchange, the New York lawmaker said, Republicans would agree to a separate one-year extension of existing enhanced tax credits that are used to reduce the cost of health insurance purchased on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces.

The other part of the agreement calls for the creation of a bipartisan committee to continue negotiations on long-term reforms to resolve the issue of health care affordability.

Schumer’s offer abandons the long-standing Democratic demand that the short-term funding resolution include an extension of the ACA’s enhanced subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of December.

That requirement prevented a clean House Republican resolution bill from reaching the 60 votes it needs to pass in the Senate. The GOP holds 53 seats in the Senate. There are 45 Democratic senators and two independents caucusing with them.

“Democrats have said we need to solve the health care crisis, but Republicans have repeatedly said they will not negotiate to lower health care costs until the government reopens,” Schumer said on the Senate floor Friday afternoon.

“So let’s find a way to honor both of those positions,” the minority leader said.

“Therefore, we would like to propose a simple proposal that would reopen the government and simultaneously extend the ACA premium tax credits…and then have the opportunity to begin negotiating longer-term solutions to health care costs,” Schumer said.

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