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The federal government entered its seventh day of closure on Tuesday, with no agreement reached. The Senate Democrats rejected a Republican bill to fund the government through November 21 for the fifth time.
However, there has been a significant shift as President Donald Trump now expresses openness to one of Democrats’ main policy demands: extending expiring subsidies in the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).
Trump said, “If we made the right deal, I’d make a deal. Sure,” when asked by a reporter whether he’s willing to negotiate with Democrats on expiring Obamacare subsidies for lower-income families.
The White House and Republican leaders had previously stated they wouldn’t negotiate health care policy post-shutdown. However, Trump mentioned that he’s started talking to Democrats about the subject.
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Trump added, “We have a negotiation going on with the Democrats that could lead to good things,” and “I’m talking about good things with regard to health care.”
Regarding furloughed federal workers, Trump said they “don’t deserve” back pay. He responded to a reporter’s question by saying, “It depends on who we’re talking about,” and added, “For the most part, we’re going to take care of our people. There are some people that really don’t deserve to be taken care of, and we’ll take care of them in a different way.”
A new legal analysis from the White House suggests that 750,000 furloughed employees may not be entitled to back pay when they return.
If the administration denies federal workers their pay, it could pressure Democrats in Congress to join Republicans in funding the government. Democrats have been withholding support while seeking policy demands related to health care.
