Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) said he would not support a weeklong or 10-day government funding measure to avoid a government shutdown on Wednesday and buy more time to negotiate with President Trump and GOP leaders.
Schumer said he felt that Monday’s meeting with Trump at the White House made some progress because it gave him and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) a chance to warn Trump directly about the possibility that thousands of Americans will see their health insurance premiums soar next year.
Schumer urged Trump to press GOP leaders to add language to a seven-week continuing resolution to address the expiration of Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies, but he ruled out supporting a weeklong or 10-day stopgap funding measure to buy some more time.
“No, we have to do it now. The time is a wasting. We have to do it now. We’ve delayed and delayed and delayed,” he said, arguing that the extension of the Affordable Care Act subsidies can’t wait.
“As Martin Luther King once said, later means never,” he said. “They don’t want to do this, the Republican leaders, because their right wing — it will divide their party — their right wing hates ACA altogether.”
“But we have to get it done,” he added. “The way to do this, is the president, who was really listening to us, tells the Republicans to do it.”
Republicans earlier Monday had also shot down the idea of a shorter-term bill.
“The House bill is going to be on the table and that’s what we’re going to vote on,” Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) told reporters. “This is clearly going to be a Democrat shutdown, driven by [Schumer].”
“This is all on the Democrats,” he continued. “They’re going to have to decide if they want to vote [for] what’s on the floor or not, and that’s what we’re going to put on the floor tomorrow night.”
Al Weaver contributed.
