With just two days until Democrats get a vote on their proposal to extend expiring Obamacare subsidies, Republican senators have yet to coalesce behind an alternative to put up alongside it. Senate Republicans are expected to discuss their options at a closed-door lunch Tuesday afternoon and make a decision about which direction to take. Factions of the conference are either ready to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies or replace them with new frameworks. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) proposal expands the use of health savings accounts and directing funding toward them — without extending the tax credits. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) took steps Monday night to make the bill available for a vote later this week, as Republicans try to keep options on the table. However, Leader Thune didn’t commit to putting it up for a vote Thursday. Senators Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) proposed a two-year subsidy extension with new income caps and other eligibility restrictions — a plan that won some Democratic interest from Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, the number two party leader. The Democratic proposal is likely to fail Thursday even though a handful of Republicans haven’t said yet how they will vote. But Leader Thune is suggesting there will be further bipartisan negotiations afterward. There’s hope on both sides of the aisle that failure could spark new momentum as some lawmakers start eyeing January 30th, the next government funding deadline, as the real cutoff to land a health care deal.
For today, the Senate will vote to confirm Robert Chamberlin as a judge for the Northern District of Mississippi and to advance William Crain’s nomination to be a judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana at 11:45 A.M. The Senate will then vote to confirm Crain and to advance James Maxwell’s nomination to be a judge for the Northern District of Mississippi at 2:15 P.M. A vote is expected later in the afternoon to confirm Maxwell.
The House is schedule at reconvene at 2:00 P.M. and later today will take up 25 bills under Suspension of the Rules including S. 356 – Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025.
