Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) have sent a letter to Republican leaders calling on them to schedule a meeting “immediately” to discuss the path to a funding deal to avoid a government shutdown after Sept. 30.
Schumer and Jeffries want a “four corners” negotiation of the top party leadership in each chamber to put together a deal on a stopgap funding measure that would give lawmakers more time to finish work on the annual appropriations bills.
So far, the Senate has passed only three of the regular appropriations bills, and the House has passed only two of the regular spending measures.
“The Sept. 30th funding deadline will be upon us shortly. It is therefore imperative that we immediately meet upon our return to Congress next week to discuss the need to avert a painful, unnecessary lapse in government funding and to address the healthcare crisis Republicans have triggered in America,” Schumer and Jeffries wrote.
Democratic leaders are especially concerned about the looming expiration of enhanced subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. The enhanced subsidies have reduced premium payments by about $705 per enrollee per year, according to KFF, a health policy research group.
They also warn that nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will force hospital closures around the country.
Democratic leaders are warning their Republican counterparts not to repeat what they did in March, when House Republicans jammed the Senate by sending over a partisan continuing resolution that passed the lower chamber with only one Democrat voting yes.
Schumer and a handful of other Senate Democrats reluctantly voted for the measure to avoid a government shutdown, but this time, Democrats are warning they won’t fold on a Republican-drafted funding stopgap.
“The government funding issue must be resolved in a bipartisan way. That is the only viable path forward,” Schumer and Jeffries wrote.
The Democratic leaders asked Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Republican Leader John Thune (S.D.) to unveil their proposal to fund the government in a bipartisan manner and to address what they called “the looming healthcare crisis caused by Republican policies.”
And they want GOP leaders to reveal whether any member of the Trump administration has indicated to them whether the Office of Management and Budget will submit another rescissions package.
“It is past time you reveal your plans to meet the needs of the American people. Otherwise, it is clear that you have abandoned bipartisanship altogether and are preparing to shut down the government,” Schumer and Jeffries wrote.
