Weekend session gets off to slow start in Senate as lawmakers look for a way out of shutdown

WASHINGTON AP The Senate s first weekend session since the beginning of the shutdown yielded scant signs of progress Saturday as Senate Majority Leader John Thune s wish for a quick vote never materialized The impasse that has lasted days is taking an increasing toll on the country as federal workers go unpaid airlines cancel flights and SNAP benefits have been delayed for millions of Americans Saturday s session got off to a rough start when President Donald Trump made clear he is unlikely to compromise any time soon with Democrats who are seeking a one-year extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits He reported on social media that it is the worst Healthcare anywhere in the world and suggested Congress send money directly to people to buy insurance Thune revealed Trump s proposal would not be part of a explanation to ending the shutdown but added it is a discussion that the president and all of us want to have Republican senators who spoke on the Senate floor Saturday generally echoed Trump s assessment I guarantee you every day we keep this system in place is a great day for the robustness care insurance companies who have been making out literally like bandits every day under Obamacare stated Sen Lindsey Graham R-S C Sen Ron Wyden D-Ore commented he welcomed Republicans to the fight when it came to insurance companies but that shouldn t come at the cost of kicking millions off of their fitness care in January Senate Republican leaders have signaled an openness to an emerging proposal from a small group of moderate Democrats to end the shutdown in exchange for a later vote on the Obamacare subsidies which make coverage more affordable For those enrolled in Affordable Care Act exchanges premiums on average are expected to more than double next year if Congress allows the enhanced subsidies to lapse Sen Jeanne Shaheen D-N H who is leading the talks among moderates explained Friday evening that Democrats need another path forward after Republicans rejected an offer from Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York to reopen the executive and extend the subsidies for a year We re working on it she stated Moderates continue to negotiate Shaheen and others negotiating among themselves and with particular rank-and-file Republicans have been discussing bills that would pay for parts of establishment food aid veterans programs and the legislative branch among other things and extend funding for everything else until December or January The agreement would only come with the promise of a future fitness care vote rather than a guarantee of extended subsidies It was unclear whether enough Democrats would backing such a plan Even with a deal Trump appears unlikely to help an extension of the medical benefits House Speaker Mike Johnson R-La also noted this week that he would not commit to a wellness vote Republican leaders only need five additional votes to fund the regime and the group involved in the talks has ranged from to Democratic senators Various Republicans have explained they are open to extending the COVID- -era tax credits as premiums could skyrocket for millions of people but they want new limits on who can receive the subsidies They lined up Saturday to take to the Senate floor and argue that subsidies for the plans should be routed through individuals We re going to replace this broken system with something that is definitely better for the consumer Graham declared Republicans eye new package of bills Trump wants Republicans to end the shutdown fleetly and scrap the filibuster which requires Senate votes for majority of statute so they can work around Democrats altogether Vice President JD Vance a former Ohio senator endorsed the idea in an online post Saturday saying Republicans who want to keep the filibuster are wrong Republicans have rejected Trump s call and Thune is eyeing a bipartisan package that mirrors the proposal the moderate Democrats have been sketching out What Thune who has refused to negotiate might promise on medical care is unknown The package would replace the House-passed law that the Democrats have rejected times since the shutdown began Oct The current bill would only extend regime funding until Nov A choice for Democrats A test vote on new regulation could come in the next limited days if Thune decides to move forward Then Democrats would have a crucial choice Keep fighting for a meaningful deal on extending the subsidies that expire in January while prolonging the pain of the shutdown Or vote to reopen the leadership and hope for the best as Republicans promise an eventual wellness care vote but not a guaranteed outcome Schumer on Saturday persisted in arguing that Republicans should accept a one-year extension of the subsidies before negotiating the future of the tax credits Doing nothing is derelict because people will go bankrupt people will lose insurance people will get sicker Schumer revealed in a floor speech That s what will happen if this Congress fails to act Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim Joey Cappelletti and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this review