At the center of shutdown fight, health care is one of the most intractable issues in Congress
Congress remains stalled over extending Affordable Care Act subsidies as millions face higher insurance premiums and federal workers go unpaid amid the ongoing government shutdown.
- On Wednesday, the U.S. government entered a partial shutdown after the U.S. Senate failed to reach 60 votes for a stopgap funding bill to keep agencies open through Nov. 21.
- Party divisions over subsidies have driven the impasse as Democrats press to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies permanently through the end of 2025, while Republicans remain split on reforms and temporary extensions.
- Republican senators have floated compromise fixes such as phased rollbacks, with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Sen. Mike Rounds proposing extensions tied to reforms.
- Hundreds of thousands of federal workers are affected by furloughs and unpaid paychecks, while the White House Office of Management and Budget ordered agencies to prepare reduction-in-force plans.
- Lawmakers warned Congress to act before open enrollment begins Nov. 1, with 24 million people enrolled in ACA marketplaces and tax credits expiring this year.
145 Articles
145 Articles
Shutdown comes after Congressional Republicans, President Trump refused to negotiate to lower health care costs
U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) released the following statement after Congressional Republicans and the White House refused to negotiate to lower health care costs for Americans, resulting in a federal government shutdown.
Top Senate Democrat takes health care fight to red states
As the government shutdown enters its second week, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., is taking her party’s fight for enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies to the neighboring red state of Idaho. “If the Republican lawmakers … are not going to level with their constituents about what is at stake in this fight, I will,” Murray, who is planning a virtual press conference Thursday with Idaho Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow and Idahoans who use the …


Amid Shutdown Fight, Healthcare Is One of the Most Intractable Issues in Congress
(MedPage Today) -- Democrats believe healthcare is an issue that resonates with a majority of Americans as they demand an extension of subsidies for their votes to reopen the shuttered U.S. government. But it is also one of the most intractable...
Government shutdown slogs through day six with health care talks at an impasse
President Donald Trump speaks to the media in the Oval Office at the White House on Sept. 2, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump sent mixed messages Monday about whether he would negotiate a deal with Democrats to extend the enhanced tax credits for people who get their health insurance from the Affordable Care Act Marketplace, one of the main issues that led to the government shutdown. …
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