'Very challenging': GOP senator laments his party is losing shutdown battle

One member of the Senate Republican Conference offered his own candid take on how his party's message was being received by the American public in the midst of the ongoing federal government shutdown as it enters its second week.

The Hill reported Tuesday that Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) admitted that Democrats were getting the better of Republicans as polls continue to show a majority of Americans blame the GOP for the shutdown. Kansas' junior U.S. senator said that it would be difficult for Republicans to convince the public to take their side, given how Democrats have centered the shutdown around expiring Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) tax credits.

The tax credits were initially included in legislation designed to provide Americans with economic relief during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and are due to expire at the end of the calendar year. But Democrats have pointed out that the open enrollment period to sign up for health insurance begins on Nov. 1, and health insurance premiums could skyrocket if the tax credits aren't extended.

"I think it is very challenging because it’s a very deep issue," Marshall said. "Look, I want everybody to have health care. It’s part of my MAHA pillars, is everyone has access meaningful access to affordable health care as well."

The Kansas Republican went on to lament that Democrats were so far standing firm in their refusal to sign the Republican-written government funding bill that doesn't include an extension of the ACA tax credits, and credited it to blue state voters keeping Democratic lawmakers on their toes.

"I think it’s a political issue, and that [Senate Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer (D-NY) with having such trouble with his base — I don’t know if it’s his base or AOC’s base — for not shutting the government down," he said. "You know, they want to do something to respond to President Trump."

"So [Schumer] had to do something," he continued. "And then they’ve taken us hostage, which is the COVID subsidies."

Click here to read the Hill's full report.