U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) holds a press conference following the Senate Republicans weekly policy lunch at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., September 16, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
Republicans are starting to falter on the hardline stance about the government shutdown, according to a House GOP conference call on Monday.
While Republicans hold the majority in the House, Senate and White House, they don't have enough votes to pass an increase in the debt ceiling. It means they'll need support from Democrats. However, Democrats don't want to help Republicans raise the debt ceiling unless they bring back the healthcare subsidies for those utilizing the Affordable Care Act.
NBC News Capitol Hill reporter Melanie Zanona wrote on X that Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI) "walked members through polling and advised them not to make the message about healthcare, because Republicans lose that argument."
She encouraged them to discuss the economics of a shutdown, thinking that the GOP has the upper hand and a winning message on that topic.
However, Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) confessed she thinks staying out of Washington isn't the right move. She wants to see them return to Congress sooner than next week so they "can better message and hammer Democrats on the airwaves," added Zanona.
Democratic strategist Jesse Ferguson noted that McClain is correct, noting the group Unring Our Economy has ads running "in 14 Republican districts about MAGA's health care shutdown. They are threatening a gov't shutdown unless they can take away health care. After already cutting Medicaid and raising tariffs."
On the U.S. Senate side, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told "Meet the Press" that it is up to Democrats, despite Republicans holding the majority.
When it comes to healthcare subsidies, Thune complained that no deal had been crafted, so Democrats should vote to raise the debt ceiling and figure out healthcare subsidies later.
"Well, the deal is not ready to be done. The government is going to close on Tuesday night at midnight. Let's keep the government open. Let's go to work on that issue," Thune said Sunday. "And, yes, I mean, some of the notices are going to start going out. The program wouldn't end until the end of the year."
Saying that the deal can't be done because it isn't "ready" flies in the face of Republicans' refusal to draft a bipartisan deal. Trump canceled the meeting on Tuesday with top Democratic leaders at the last minute, saying that their healthcare demands were "unserious and ridiculous."