The government has shut down, and there are no signs of when it could reopen.
Despite the very public and acrimonious feud between Republicans and Democrats, a bipartisan group of lawmakers huddled on the floor during votes, and those conversations showed some promise, according to some senators.
Several Republicans spoke with Democrats on the floor around noon after another failed vote on the CR. Members did not disclose specifics on what was discussed, but they saw positivity that a dialogue was starting. In past shutdowns, moderate members have been the first to hammer out a deal in closed-door meetings, although many of those lawmakers are no longer in Congress.
Sen. Chris Coons said he spoke with several Republican colleagues, including Sen. John Thune, about committing “on paper” to reforms (as Republicans want) and extensions (as Democrats want) of the Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year. Until they do, he said, it’s “all talk.”
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“I was simply saying, ‘Let’s put something on paper,’” Coons said. “Go name a group of senators and say, ‘This is the group, and they’re going to begin negotiating, and we’re going to talk to each other.’”
“Because otherwise, we’re all just doing this,” he added, gesturing to a crowd of reporters.
Retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said she has spoken to Republicans and Democrats, who seem open to negotiating how to reform the subsidies. Coons said some Republicans are concerned about health care costs.
“I do see room to address some of the concerns that we’ve heard our colleagues express,” Shaheen said. “I’ve talked to a number of people in the last 12 hours since we voted. I think there is an opportunity to continue discussions.”
Sen. Ruben Gallego said the Wednesday talks he was in took the shape of “friend conversations,” like Senate colleagues often have, but he sees it as a good sign.
“I think today we wanted to have a friend conversation,” Gallego told reporters. “They were able to talk to us, we were able to talk back. Nothing’s been decided, but we’re just throwing out ideas right now.”
Republican Sen. John Kennedy said the mood has lifted since Tuesday.
“If you had asked me yesterday or the day before, I would have said I’m not particularly sanguine about our chances. The feeling on the floor is different,” Kennedy said. “There’s not as much anger as you would think.”
But the two sides are still far apart. Senate Democrats, who blocked a stopgap bill to fund the government for the third time on Wednesday, still say Republicans aren’t dealing seriously with them. The Trump administration has started targeting programs in Democratic states for cuts.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has said House Republicans won’t return to D.C. until Monday, stymying any hopes of getting a new deal on the floor before then.
“John Thune says, ‘Well, I’m not going to negotiate when the government’s shut down,’ but he wouldn’t negotiate when the government was open,” Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said. “You know, we’re not gonna get run over here.”
Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin said he doesn’t expect to get many more Democratic senators on board before the weekend. Three senators from the Democratic caucus — John Fetterman, Catherine Cortez-Masto and Angus King — all continued to vote in support of the House-passed CR, but Mullin guessed more would join them in time.
“I think come next week, they will,” Mullin told NOTUS on Wednesday. “I don’t think right now the subject is hot enough.”
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