Republicans seek ideas to reopen US government after pressure tactics fail - The Hill

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, and his team of Republican leaders are looking for new ideas to end the 38-day US government shutdown after it became clear on Friday that attempts to force Democrats to vote for the House-passed funding bill have so far been unsuccessful, UNN reports with reference to The Hill.

Details

Senate Republicans are discussing various ideas to break the deadlock, such as voting on a new Senate-drafted bill that would fund a significant portion of the federal government through fiscal year 2026.

This approach, championed by members of the Appropriations Committee, involves voting on three regular appropriations bills passed by the Senate earlier this year with strong bipartisan support and agreed upon with House Republicans.

Another idea, put forward by Senator Lindsey Graham (Republican from South Carolina), is to introduce a Republican-drafted bill that would aim to reduce rising healthcare costs, addressing an issue at the heart of the public funding battle.

A third proposal, put forward by Senator Eric Schmitt (Republican from Missouri), is to encourage the Trump administration to use federally funded projects in Democratic states like California and New York to find additional funding to pay military personnel.

The publication notes that Republican leaders in the Senate are looking for new tactics to end the shutdown, as rank-and-file Republican lawmakers are tired of repeatedly voting for the House-passed resolution to extend government funding until November 21.

Senate Democrats blocked the House-passed bill 14 times, and Thune was unable to increase the number of Democrats supporting these measures, despite repeated requests to his colleagues.

"There's no point in voting for something we've voted for in the past, only to do it again," Senator Mike Rounds, a Republican from South Dakota, told reporters on Friday.

The Hill notes that currently, only three members of the Senate Democratic caucus have voted for the continuing resolution, which does not include provisions to extend current subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

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Recall

The current US government shutdown has become the longest in US history, surpassing the previous record set in late 2018 - early 2019.

It should be noted that US government shutdowns are a relatively recent phenomenon, which in its current form began only in 1980, when the Attorney General issued a series of legal opinions asserting the illegality of government agencies continuing to spend funds without congressional authorization. Since then, there have been 15 shutdowns, including the current situation.