U.S. senators will vote again on Friday, marking the 38th day of the government shutdown, in an effort to break the stalemate. This time, Republicans are offering a new incentive, hoping Democrats will accept the deal.
CBS News reported that Republicans are adding language to the bill that would guarantee a future vote on extending health care subsidies set to expire under the Affordable Care Act.
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Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he’s hopeful that enough Democrats will proceed.
“My hopes and expectations are always that we’re going to have enough Democrats to actually proceed, but I don’t know, we’ll see,” Thune told reporters at the Capitol.
Changing the filibuster
Meanwhile, some GOP leaders are considering changing the filibuster rules specifically for this vote. It’s an effort to reopen the government with a simple majority of 51 votes, rather than the current 60.
The resolution itself would be a clean bill with no add-ons or policy riders.
But even inside the Republican party, support for that so-called “nuclear option” is limited. Previously, Thune has defended the Senate rule requiring 60 votes to pass most legislative matters.
It wouldn’t be the first time the filibuster has been watered down. In 2013, former Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid amended it to allow some executive and judicial branch nominee confirmations.
In 2017, Mitch McConnell followed a similar approach for Supreme Court nominees.
