Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said the government shutdown has benefited Democrats so far, while congressional Republicans have “skedaddled” as the government stays closed.
Speaking with “Morning Joe” co-host Jonathan Lemire on MSNBC, Whitehouse was asked about his faith in Democratic leadership and the pay risks to federal workers as the shutdown entered its eighth day.
“You know, I think [for] Democrats, it’s so far, so good,” Whitehouse told Lemire.
“I think the two big flags flying out there, one is that the Republican Speaker won’t even bring the House back to face the [Jeffrey] Epstein vote,” Whitehouse continued, referring to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). “So they’ve just skedaddled while this shutdown goes on.”
It’s not “a good place to be” for Republicans “if you’re not even showing up for work during the shutdown when you have to fix it,” he said.
“Republican after Republican after Republican after Republican is saying, ‘Democrats are right, we should extend the Affordable Care [Act] credits,'” Whitehouse said. “So, OK, if we’re right, sit down, let’s negotiate that and put this [shutdown] behind us.”
Senators later on Wednesday rejected dueling stopgap funding bills to reopen the government — one from Democrats as well as a “clean” spending package from the GOP.
Democrats have advocated for extending Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits past their end-of-the-year expiration. In every Democratic funding bill so far, ACA extensions have been included.
Republicans argue that discussions on these subsidies can pick up again after the government is reopened.
“I know this story’s getting old. You’re trying to find new angles, but it’s the same [thing] — the conversation will happen when we open up the government,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters. “Nothing’s changed.”
One possible change is Johnson’s opposition to move forward with a bill to pay military service members during the shutdown. Should the shutdown continue until Oct. 15, it would be the first instance in modern times that service members missed a paycheck during a government shutdown.