Thune: Stopgap Bill Shouldn't Include Obamacare Subsidies

Senate Republican leaders are open to discussing the expiration of Obamacare health insurance subsidies after a continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown is passed, Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters Tuesday.

Democrats have vowed to block a short-term government funding bill unless Republicans agree to extend billions of dollars in Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies.

Thune, though, insisted that a Sept. 30 short-term government funding measure needs to be kept "clean" of specific policy riders.

"I think the ACA subsidies will be an issue that will be addressed, but I think right now we've got to keep the government open so we can do appropriations bills and work on that, with that solution," Thune said, The Hill reported.

While speaking on the Senate floor Tuesday, Thune tore into Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for taking a different approach than when he was in the majority.

As leader, Schumer stressed the need for clean continuing resolutions to avoid government shutdowns. Now, he's changing his tune.

"I realize that's a little out of the ordinary, given the past few years under the Democrat leadership, Democrat leader's leadership here in the Senate, where these issues, a lot of times, got decided behind closed doors in his office, and that seems to be what he wants to have happen again," Thune said of Schumer.

"He's suggesting that he would like to have conversations about this as well. He knows my office is right down the hall. He knows my phone number. I haven't heard from him."

Thune said Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, and House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole, R-Okla., are overseeing negotiations for the government funding bill.

While speaking with reporters, Thune said there's growing support among Republican lawmakers in both the Senate and House to prevent the expanded ACA health insurance subsidies from expiring at the end of this year.

But the leader insisted the subsidies need to be addressed as part of the end-of-year appropriations process and not tacked on to the 45-day continuing resolution the House hopes to pass this week.

"I don't think it's going to be close to ready to go by the shutdown of the government, which would happen Sept. 30," he said of a subsidies agreement.

"I think we've got a path right now to keep the government open, to continue to work on appropriations bills and to have conversations about that subject."

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