A handful of Democrats have entered talks on ending the government shutdown, undermining Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) as he continues to hold out for concessions from Republicans.
As the costs of the shutdown continue to mount, some Democrats including Senators Maggie Hassan (NH), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Gary Peters (D-MI) are working on a deal to end the impasse, the Hill reported.
The shutdown became the longest in U.S. history this week as the impacts continued to spread, with funding lapsed for food stamps and millions of federal workers missing paychecks.
Republicans need at least eight Democrats to cross the aisle in order to break the 60-vote filibuster. For weeks, only three Democrats have voted to end the shutdown consistently, and they are Sens. John Fetterman (D-PA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), and Angus King (ME), an independent who caucuses with the Dems. If Hassan, Peters, and Shaheen join that group, Republicans would still need two more votes.
“There’s a plan, we’ve all kind of semiagreed to it and we’re now seeing not whether [Senate Democratic Leader Chuck] Schumer will support it but whether he will not blow it up,” one senator said.
A source said that at least eight Democrats expressed interest in opening the government at a tense Tuesday meeting where the party's factions clashed over a path forward, but the situation remains fluid.
“To me, it looked like there were eight votes, but it could change. There’s a lot to think about,” the source cautioned. “Nobody can predict the future.”
According to the Hill, the tentative deal would likely include at least some regular, full-year spending bills and a commitment to vote on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies that Democrats have made central to the fight.
But some Democrats think it would be a mistake to back down without more solid concessions, especially a commitment from Republicans to ensure that the subsidies pass. These pro-shutdown Democrats are fearful Schumer is losing control as the caucus starts to split.
“That’s what leadership is all about. Is this just to let us all vent so we can pretend we were hurt? Or are we shaping this into a plan that keeps Democrats united and achieves some objective? That requires a person with the hand on the tiller,” said one Schumer skeptic.
Another factor motivating the shutdown Democrats is that the party won big in Tuesday night's elections, including in Virginia, which has a large number of furloughed federal workers. But not all Democrats are convinced that the results were all that meaningful.
“Last night was a good night but it was one night of the year,” Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona (D) told CNN.
Schumer has not said which way he is leaning, but he said a Thursday lunch with the caucus was "productive."
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is holding another vote on Friday to put Democrats to the test.
"I think the clear path forward here with regard to the [Obamacare] issue, open up the government, and we head down to the White House and sit down with the president and talk about it," Thune said. "But I just, right now there is hostage taking, as you all know. The consequences are getting more pronounced."
