US Vice President JD Vance, during a press briefing at the White House today, says the Republicans will negotiate with their opponents once the shutdown is over.
Photo: AFP / Jim Watson
Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday (US time) has again signalled openness to negotiating with Democrats on health care – but only after the current government shutdown is over.
“The president was more than happy to say, yes, let’s sit down and talk about how we can solve the health care crisis that we inherited from the Biden administration,” Vance said during a press briefing, referring to President Donald Trump’s meeting earlier this week with Democratic leaders. “But it’s one thing to say that we should solve the health care crisis for Americans. It’s another thing to say we’re going to shut down the government unless we give the Democrats every single thing that they want.”
Democratic lawmakers have demanded concessions from the White House in exchange for funding the government, including extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that are due to expire at the end of the year.
But the White House and Republican congressional leaders have so far refused, falsely claiming Democrats are seeking to fund health care for undocumented immigrants and insisting that no negotiations can occur until the government is reopened.
Vance told reporters Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is refusing to back Republicans’ plan to fund the government because he’s “terrified” he’s going to be face a primary challenge from the progressive wing of his party.
Meanwhile, the White House offered an opening messaging salvo starkly casting blame on Democrats for the government shutdown, pointing to bipartisan support for keeping the government open.
“We need to keep the government open and funded, and individuals and organisations across the political spectrum, across the country, agree with the Trump administration and Republicans,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at the press briefing.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is accusing the Democrats of “sabotaging our country”.
Photo: AFP / Getty Images / Alex Wong
Leavitt pointed to comments from Teamsters labour union leader Sean O’Brien and the US Chamber of Commerce, as well as moderate Democratic Senators Catherine Cortez-Masto and John Fetterman, calling on Democratic senators to pass a bill to fund the government.
“Democrats need to stop sabotaging our country and holding the American people hostage in the country. Democrats need to do their jobs. The American people want the government reopened,” Leavitt said.
Democrats have demanded that Republicans engage in negotiations over reversing Medicaid cuts and extending expiring enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies before voting to reopen the government.
But Leavitt pointed to health care programmes that are at risk amid a shutdown: The Women, Infants, and Children supplemental nutrition programme, community health centre funding, and other programmes, she said, “are now all at risk.”
“The most vulnerable in our country are being punished. … If Democrats actually cared about health care, they would applaud the actions taken by President Trump,” she said.
Wall Street slips
The shutdown was set to delay the release of some government economic reports, adding unease to Wall Street investors at a time of economic uncertainty.
Wall Street opened lower, gold struck a record high and Asian stocks wavered as investors worried about delays in the release of key data and the impact of job losses. The dollar hovered near a one-week low versus major peers.
At issue on the government funding front is US$1.7 trillion for agency operations, which amounts to roughly one-quarter of the government’s total $7 trillion budget. Much of the remainder goes to health and retirement programmes and interest payments on the growing $37.5 trillion debt.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries is laying the blame on US President Donald Trump.
Photo: AFP / Getty Images / Kevin Dietsch
Independent analysts warn the shutdown could last longer than the budget-related closures of the past, with Trump and White House officials threatening to punish Democrats with cuts to government programmes and the federal payroll.
“Donald Trump and Republicans have shut the government down because they don’t want to provide healthcare to working-class Americans,” House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said on ABC’s Good Morning America.
Thune said Democrats had routinely backed similar funding bills in years past.
“What’s changed is President Trump is in the White House. That’s what this is about. This is politics. And there isn’t any substantive reason why there ought to be a government shutdown,” the South Dakota Republican told reporters.
Trump’s Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of Congress, but legislative rules require 60 of the 100 senators to agree on spending legislation. That means that at least seven Democrats are needed to pass a funding bill. On Tuesday, three of them voted for the Republican bill.
-CNN blog / Reuters