Emboldened Democrats Dig In On Health Care Demands In Shutdown Fight

WASHINGTON — Eight days into nan government shutdown, Senate Democratic communications board received a backstage briefing and a memo from pollster Geoff Garin.

The crux of nan message: Stay nan people because Democrats are winning nan conflict of nationalist opinion.

“Voters proceed to blasted Trump and Republicans much than Democrats for nan shutdown,” said nan memo, which was obtained by NBC News and featured caller polling information conducted by Hart Research, pinch findings that are backed by other nationalist national surveys connected nan shutdown fight.

It added that voters are siding pinch Democrats’ wellness attraction backing demands, that “Republicans are starting nan consciousness nan heat” connected nan rumor and that nan GOP’s governmental symptom will worsen “the longer and much aggressively” Democrats litigate it.

The memo helps explicate why Democrats are refusing to blink successful nan staring contest, defying predictions by nan White House and Republican leaders that they would person backed down by now.

Republicans request 5 much Democratic votes to break a filibuster and walk their measure to reopen nan authorities connected a impermanent ground and bargain clip for a larger spending deal. On Thursday, nan Senate voted again — for nan seventh clip — connected that scheme and a Democratic alternative. No senators budged.

Instead, Democratic leaders, emboldened and energized, are taking each opportunity to item their cardinal demand: widen nan expiring Obamacare subsidies to debar wellness security premium hikes aliases sum losses for millions of Americans adjacent year. Insurers are already sending retired notices of upcoming complaint hikes successful nan mail, and bringing costs backmost down will get messy if Congress waits until nan extremity of nan twelvemonth to act.

We’d for illustration to perceive from you astir really you’re experiencing nan authorities shutdown, whether you’re a national worker who can’t activity correct now aliases personification who is emotion nan effects of shuttered services successful your mundane life. Please interaction america astatine tips@nbcuni.com aliases scope retired to america here.

The wellness attraction subsidies are utilized by scores of working-class voters, including Trump supporters. Enrollment successful Obamacare is astir 24 million, and an estimated 92% of those insured use from nan enhanced taxation credit, which was first passed successful nan 2021 Covid-19 alleviation bill.

A KFF nationalist poll showed that 57% of “MAGA supporters” favour extending nan subsidies, while 43% are opposed. Overall, 78% of U.S. adults said they favour extending nan funding, while 22% opportunity it should expire.

But Republican leaders, facing a divided convention pinch galore members who want to extremity nan subsidies, are refusing to make immoderate promises connected nan issue. Instead, they say, Democrats must ballot to reopen nan government, and past nan 2 parties tin talk nan subsidies.

The pivot to wellness attraction has disappointment House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

“They’re trying to make this astir wellness care. It’s not. It’s astir keeping Congress operating truthful we tin get to wellness care. We ever were going to. They’re lying to you,” Johnson told reporters connected Thursday. “The wellness attraction issues were ever going to beryllium thing discussed and deliberated and contemplated and debated successful October and November.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has referred to them arsenic “Covid subsidies” that were designed to expire for a reason, and insisted connected imposing caller restrictions connected nan backing successful bid to person immoderate chance of preventing a afloat sunset.

Democrats are refusing to settee for assurances of a statement aliases a early vote. They opportunity they want an hold attached to authorities backing authorities successful bid to triumph their votes. They person offered their ain authorities backing bill, which includes attached Obamacare backing and repeals President Donald Trump’s caller Medicaid cuts and changes.

Republicans, meanwhile, person seized connected a quote published successful Punchbowl successful which Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said, “Every time gets amended for us.”

Thune had a poster made of nan quote and brought it to nan level connected Thursday. Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., made his ain poster of Schumer’s look pinch nan quote.

“He said, ‘Every time gets amended for us.’ Who is us?” Barrasso asked connected nan floor. “Not amended for nan American people. Who does he mean by us? Not nan subject who’s not getting paid. Not nan Border Patrol who’s not getting paid. Not nan postulation controllers who aren’t getting paid.”

On nan Senate level Thursday, Schumer attempted to explain his remarks, arguing that pinch each passing time of nan shutdown, Democrats’ “case to hole wellness attraction and extremity nan shutdown gets amended and better, stronger and stronger.”

This is now nan eighth-longest authorities shutdown successful history, according to an NBC News analysis. If nan authorities is still closed astatine nan extremity of Friday, it will go nan seventh-longest shutdown.

Federal workers, including members of nan military, are moving without salary and will statesman to miss paychecks successful nan coming days if nan authorities remains shuttered. The nonstop deposit deadline is Friday, while beingness checks are scheduled to spell retired connected Oct. 15; those payments will not hap during a shutdown.

With Johnson keeping nan House retired of convention for a 3rd consecutive week, tensions are moving precocious among nan fewer lawmakers moving astir nan Capitol. On Wednesday, Johnson and chap Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York sparred pinch Arizona Democratic Sens. Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly complete Johnson’s hold successful seating Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz.

Later, Lawler, a Republican representing a plaything district, confronted House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., aft his news convention complete Democrats’ refusal to backmost nan GOP backing measure aliases a one-year hold of Obamacare subsidies. The statement devolved into a shouting lucifer astir Trump’s “big bill,” wellness attraction cuts and Lawler’s chances for re-election.

There are immoderate signs that House Republicans are opening to turn restless and emotion unit from constituents backmost home.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a onetime Trump loyalist who has precocious surgery pinch nan president, has faulted Johnson and her statement for having nary scheme to reside nan expiring wellness attraction subsidies.

And Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., who, for illustration Lawler, faces a reliable re-election conflict successful adjacent year’s midterms, is 1 of a fistful of Republicans who person called connected Johnson to reconvene nan House. She represents a military-heavy territory successful Virginia Beach and is demanding a ballot connected her legislation, nan Pay Our Troops Act.

“I’m urging nan Speaker and our House activity to instantly walk my measure to guarantee our servicemembers, galore of whom unrecorded paycheck to paycheck while supporting their families, person nan salary they’ve earned,” Kiggans wrote connected X. “Military salary should not beryllium held hostage owed to Washington’s dysfunction!”

Responding Thursday, Johnson said that House Republicans already passed a bill connected Sept. 19 to money nan full government, which includes paying nan troops, done Nov. 21.

“We put that measure connected nan floor, and nan Republicans voted to salary nan troops, TSA agents, separator patrol, aerial postulation and everybody else,” Johnson told reporters. “The Democrats voted no.”

Asked astir his confrontation pinch nan Democratic senators a time earlier, Johnson acknowledged that “emotions are high” betwixt nan parties.

“And truthful is it amended for them, probably, to beryllium physically separated correct now? Yeah, astir apt is, frankly,” nan speaker said. “I wish that weren’t nan case, but we do person to move nan measurement down. The champion measurement to move nan measurement down is to move nan lights backmost connected and get nan authorities unfastened for nan people.”