WASHINGTON — Happy Groundhog Day. Again.
With the US federal government shutdown entering its fifth week and a growing number of Americans feeling deepening economic pain, there are whispers of a thaw on Capitol Hill. At the very least, some more middle-of-the-road Democratic and Republican senators are talking to each other.
Such signs of bipartisanship seemed to have spooked President Donald Trump, who took to Truth Social late last week to demand GOP leaders “INITIATE THE ‘NUCLEAR OPTION’” and get rid of the filibuster, so Republicans can more easily ram Trump-approved policies through Congress.
Democrats are dubious about anything Trump might say.
“I’m not sure if you can really trust the president,” Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NM) told Raw Story mere hours before Trump called for nuking Senate norms.
“You're going to have to maybe take a leap of faith at some point, but you better come out and do something. This is his shutdown. He owns the White House, the House and the Senate. It's up to him to be a leader and bring us together to be sure people have the dignity of health care.”
Health care, specifically the soon-to-spiral cost of insurance under the Affordable Care Act — aka, Obamacare — is the issue that drove the Democrats to trigger a shutdown now rocketing towards the record for the longest such closure.
That mark sits at 35 dismal days, set during Trump’s first administration.
After that shutdown, the Congressional Budget Office estimated the cost to the U.S. economy at $11 billion.
Then, as now, Republicans controlled the White House and both chambers of Congress.
Democrats say that means the onus is on the GOP to come up with a deal to get government workers paid and food stamp recipients fed, and to shame vacationing House members into returning to Washington for the first time in more than a month.
“This is a president and a Republican Party that is taking a battle ax to bedrock that American families rely on,” Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) told Raw Story.
“They've already cut a billion out of SNAP [food stamps]. Now they're putting in health-care work requirements that even Republican states like West Virginia have said don't work and actually cause people who are eligible to lose their coverage that was intended by Congress.
“So this is just a very, very savage time of cruelty where you're going to see millions of Americans suffering because of the things that they're doing to bedrock programs and providing health care and food programs.”
On Friday, a federal judge in Rhode Island blocked the Trump administration from suspending Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, as was due on Saturday.
Speaking before that ruling, Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) told Raw Story. “SNAP beneficiaries are not a part of this fight.
“Whatever you think about the fight, they're not in it. They're being dragged into it by the administration. They've got $5 billion in a contingency fund and they ought to use it.”
‘They’ll get some votes’
Republican senators, publicly at least, remain resolute: if Democrats back down and re-open the government, GOP leaders are promising to hold votes on whether to extend Obamacare subsidies without which insurance costs will soar.
“They'll get some votes, and you can't assure an outcome on a particular vote,” Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) told reporters. “You can provide them with a chance.”
But Rounds also indicated resolute Republican opposition to extending subsidies.
“You have to recognize that the marketplace does not support what we're trying to do with the product in the first place,” he said, “and it's exactly what has been said by Republicans for 15 years,” going back to passage of the ACA in 2010.
Extending subsidies has found support among remaining Republican moderates, but their ranks have dwindled since the MAGA era kicked off in 2016. Most in the party seem opposed to continuing the subsidies.
“The Democrats voted for this identical spending level in December of last year, and [now] they're voting against the spending levels that they instituted,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said.
“So to me, it seems to be an untenable position. Continue to oppose spending levels they've already stated support for, and their rationale for doing it is they want to preserve Obamacare subsidies for somebody making $200,000 a year.
“I think most people out there think it'd be kind of crazy to close down the government to keep a subsidy of $1,500 a year. So I'm surprised that they've gone this long with us.”
Democrats have refused to budge.
Political watchers are sensing change in the air now the country is starting to lose patience — though polling shows majorities blame the GOP.
Republicans remain bullish.
Saying he had “no issues” with the Trump administration using a $130 million private donation to pay the military during the shutdown, despite concerns about possible corruption, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) told reporters he thought the shutdown would end this week, after high-profile state and city elections in Virginia, New Jersey and New York.
“I would assume [after Democratic] victories on Wednesday, even though it's blue states and they elect a communist in New York City [Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani, favorite to be elected mayor], they're going to consider that a victory,” Mullin said.
“And then they're going to go out there and say they fought hard and it's time to open the government.”
‘People will be hungry’
The more progressive wing of the Democratic Party begs to differ, as members continue trying to focus the conversation on the deepening human cost of the shutdown.
Politics aside, the cost of the government shutdown to federal workers, contractors and those dependent on federal programs is undeniable — and increasing by the day.
“People will be hungry, people will not be paid,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said, starkly.
“And people are going to have to pay so much more for their health insurance that there are people making the decision this weekend to drop their insurance because it's the only way they can still afford rent.”
