There’s been little movement toward resolution as Senate Democrats continue to balk – through 13 votes now – at passing a resolution for the purpose of budget debate.
The House passed this clean continuing resolution in the summer, stating that government would be funded at current levels with no policy changes while discussions continue.
The main sticking point is healthcare. Democrats are trying to strike a blow at cuts made though the summer passage of Republicans’ Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The extension of Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies would lead to $200 billion in healthcare spending for illegals over the next decade, Republicans say.
The Democrat proposal for reopening the government would allow those improperly granted asylum and parole after entering the country through Joe Biden’s open borders to receive Medicaid, they say.
Hundreds of thousands of federal employees are furloughed or working without pay, but while the parties stand firm, the calendar does not, and the prod to action from one of them could come on Nov. 1 funding for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will run out.
“When the SNAP benefits fail to be loaded onto the cards on Saturday morning, that's going to be a real problem, and I think the Democrats realize it's going to be a real problem for them. They are going to have to explain why they voted 13 times to keep the government closed and to keep SNAP benefits away from over 40 million Americans,” Rep. Andy Harris (R-Maryland) said on Washington Watch Tuesday.
Harris told show host Tony Perkins he’s hopeful enough Senate Democrats will have second thoughts, and the government can reopen before Saturday’s SNAP deadline.
The nation's largest federal employee union, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), this week called for the passage of a clean continuing resolution (CR) to end the government shutdown. Representing over 800,000 federal and D.C. government employees, AFGE has publicly urged Congress to pass a clean CR -- funding the government without policy riders or partisan add-ons -- emphasizing worker relief over party loyalty.
AFGE leadership typically supports Democrat positions. The union overwhelmingly directs its political contributions and endorsements to Democratic candidates and liberal causes. For example, from 2000 to 2024, AFGE contributed between 86% and 99% of its political donations to Democrats, with the remainder going to Republicans. In the 2024 cycle alone, 95.76% of its contributions went to Democrats.
AFGE National President Everett Kelley stated, “It’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship. Put every single federal worker back on the job with full back pay – today.”
Not everyone is standing still
The major parties aren’t moving, but there’s shifting among their constituents.
“You have more and more air traffic control slowdowns. Again, you have the SNAP benefits not being loaded this weekend, and now you have the largest federal government employee union saying, ‘look, just end it now, you know, pass the House's Clean CR. So maybe it gets done by the end of the week,” Harris said.
Harris, the chair of the House’s fiscally conscious Freedom Caucus, says it will be the Democrats who blink. The government can’t afford new spending and must pass a clean CR, he said.
After it passes there will be time to discuss healthcare premiums and possible policy changes for all American “not just the 7% who are on Obamacare,” he said.
Until then, “we’re happy that (House Speaker) Mike Johnson is holding the line. John Thune over in the Senate is holding the line."
It's common sense.
"We think that this is it. This is the fight, the real fight now, because this is whether or not we have fiscal sanity in Washington or whether the Democrats get their one and a half trillion dollars in new unpaid-for spending when the government's broke,” Harris said.
