The fight to pass the continuing resolution (CR) has not been an easy one, but it is almost over.
This week, eight Senate Democrats broke and signed on to the CR, which has since received final passage in the upper chamber.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has already cleared one hurdle in the House, and the bill is expected to hit the floor for a final vote on Wednesday evening.
The GOP held firm that it would not extend Obamacare subsidies as they were, but would negotiate with Democrats if they signed onto the CR.
Finally, eight Democrats realized that Republicans were not moving off this mark, so they agreed to the CR in order to end the government shutdown.
One of the Democrats who defected was Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), who stated, “This was the only deal on the table.”
She continued, “It was our best chance to reopen the government and immediately begin negotiations to extend the ACA tax credits that tens of millions of Americans rely on to keep costs down.”
Democrats in the House and Senate were livid at the eight colleagues who broke the party line.
For instance, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) stated, “This is a defining moment for the party. We need new faces with bold new ideas. The American people are tired of a failed status quo.”
Democrat Senate candidate Graham Platner made it clear he does not support current party leadership, adding, “Down here in eastern Maine, a doubling of health care premiums destroys families. We need to elect leaders that want to fight.”
Sen. Angus King (I-ME), however, believes that this course of action represents the best way to get the healthcare subsidies extended, stating, “As of this morning, our chances were zero. As of tonight, our chances are maybe 50%. I can’t guarantee a result. Nobody can.”
Now the task of passing the legislation once and for all falls to Johnson, who has only two votes to spare in the House, and he knows that no more than two or three Democrats will support this bill (only one Democrat supported the CR the first time it went through the House).
The bill passed through the House Rules Committee along party lines, and now it is headed to the House floor for debate, and, hopefully, a vote on Wednesday night.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has been throwing jabs in recent days, claiming that the GOP has essentially been on vacation, but Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) was not having it, responding, "I am sick and tired of hearing you all say we had an eight-week vacation. I worked every day. I don't know about you. I don't want to hear another soul say that."
The bill is expected to pass the House, as nearly all Republicans are expected to support it, but there are some wildcards in play, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who has demanded that the Obamacare subsidies be included. We have to hope that the agreement to negotiate them after the CR passes will be enough to get her behind this bill. As noted, Johnson has almost no wiggle room, so he and the rest of GOP leadership had better be making phone calls to ensure this bill passes on the first vote.
