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Capitol agenda: Where health care talks stand

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The Senate’s leaving Thursday for Thanksgiving recess without clear bipartisan agreement on how to address expiring Obamacare subsidies. But after a busy week of talks across the Capitol, we’re starting to get some clarity on what will or won’t pass muster in a year-end health care deal.

Here’s what we’ve learned:

— Sen. Bill Cassidy’s (R-La.) plan to redirect funds into health savings accounts isn’t going to fly with Democrats. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters Wednesday his party only wants an extension of the Affordable Care Act credits that expire next month, and that “Cassidy’s proposal, as I understand it, replaces them.”

“It’s privatizing health insurance, and it looks like it’s really problematic,” Schumer said.

Health experts say Cassidy’s plan, which aligns with a proposal floated by President Donald Trump, also won’t necessarily do much to offset looming premium spikes. Those talking points could bolster Democrats’ opposition as they argue for a clean extension of the subsidies.

— More Republicans are acknowledging it might be too late to enact major new health care policy before Dec. 31.

“It’s a welcome discussion,” Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) told Blue Light News. “But we’re not gonna get that done by Dec. 31.”

When asked about the timeline on Wednesday, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said there’s not enough time to make “major changes.”

That could give a boost to Democrats who were promised a standalone vote on an ACA extension bill next month in exchange for reopening the government.

But it could also embolden conservatives who are eager to ditch bipartisan talks and go their own way on a health care-focused, party-line reconciliation package, as White House deputy chief of staff James Blair teased Tuesday.

Senate Budget Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Wednesday he plans to pursue a new budget reconciliation bill. However such a move would likely have to happen next year if at all.

— There’s one area of bipartisan promise on health care. Senate Finance Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and ranking member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) say they’ll soon unveil a proposal to crack down on the health intermediaries known as pharmacy benefit managers — a longtime priority for the panel.

Wyden told Blue Light News he’s hopeful the Senate will advance a bill by the end of the year. When he chaired Senate Finance in 2023, the committee approved a PBM bill in a 26-0 vote.

Committee Republicans are eager for the bill to hitch a ride on a must-pass legislative vehicle. One Senate aide involved in the negotiations tells Blue Light News the package is likely to be in the mix in January as Congress approaches the next government funding deadline.

Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) told reporters Wednesday there could be a “window” to put it on the floor as a standalone measure.

What else we’re watching:   

More censures?: Look out for whether there’s a move to censure Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) after she was indicted on federal fraud charges Wednesday. This week has been heavy on censure efforts in the House, with Rep. Chuy García (D-Ill.) formally rebuked Tuesday and derailed attempts against Democratic Del. Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin Islands and GOP Rep. Cory Mills of Florida.

— Next steps on permitting talks: Key negotiators regard Thursday morning’s House Natural Resources Committee markup as an important step in reaching a comprehensive permitting reform deal this Congress. Chair Bruce Westerman’s (R-Ark.) bill would ease permitting reviews and limit legal challenges for projects under the National Environmental Policy Act, a bedrock environmental protection law many conservatives believe is mired in too much red tape.

— NDAA down to the wire: The “Big Four” leaders of House and Senate Armed Services are racing to reach a compromise defense bill just a week before their self-imposed deadline. The lawmakers are hoping to drop the bill text the day they return from Thanksgiving break and are targeting an early December vote on the House and Senate floors.

Robert King, Calen Razor, Jordain Carney, Meredith Lee Hill, Josh Siegel and Connor O’Brien contributed to this report.

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Congress

Mike Johnson says House can end government shutdown ‘by Tuesday’

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House Speaker Mike Johnson said he is confident Congress can end the partial government shutdown “by Tuesday” despite steep opposition from Democrats and turmoil within the GOP conference.

Johnson is under pressure to unite his caucus, with lawmakers raising concerns about funding for the Department of Homeland Security as the Trump administration faces scrutiny over its nationwide immigration crackdown that has at times turned violent.

House Republicans are hoping to take up the $1.2 trillion funding package passed by the Senate on Tuesday following a House Rules Committee meeting Monday. The partial shutdown began early Saturday.

GOP leadership in the House originally hoped to pass the bill under suspension of the rules, an expedited process that requires a two-thirds-majority vote, but Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told Johnson on Saturday that Democrats would not help Republicans acquire the necessary support for the spending bill.

“I’m confident that we’ll do it at least by Tuesday,” Johnson said in a Sunday interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “We have a logistical challenge of getting everyone in town, and because of the conversation I had with Hakeem Jeffries, I know that we’ve got to pass a rule and probably do this mostly on our own. I think that’s very unfortunate.”

The Senate voted Friday to pass a compromise spending package after Senate Democrats struck a deal with President Donald Trump to extend DHS funding for two weeks. The move bought Congress more time to work out a compromise on reforms for Immigration and Customs Enforcement after federal officers fatally shot two people in Minnesota earlier this month.

Speaking to host Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press,” Johnson acknowledged that “there’s been tragedies in Minnesota” — but he also blamed Democrats in the state for “inciting violence,” even as the Trump administration attempts to tamp down pressures in the state.

Johnson praised Trump’s decision to send White House border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis, a step widely seen as a deescalation from the aggressive tactics favored by Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino.

“[Trump] was right to deputize him over that situation,” he said of Homan on NBC. “He has 40 years of experience in Border Patrol and these issues. So I think that this is going to happen, but we need good faith on both sides. Some of these conditions and requests that they’ve made are obviously reasonable and should happen. But others are going to require a lot more negotiation.”

Johnson pushed back in particular on Democratic calls to bar federal immigration enforcement officers from wearing masks and require them to wear identification, telling Fox’s Shannon Bream: “Those two things are conditions that would create further danger.”

He also signaled an unwillingness to negotiate on Democratic demands to tighten requirements for judicial warrants for immigration operations.

Still, House Democrats remained opposed to passing the funding package as is, with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) saying Sunday: “I’m not just a no. I’m a firm no.”

“I just don’t see how in good conscience Democrats can vote for continuing ICE funding when they’re killing American citizens, when there’s no provision to repeal the tripling of the budget,” Khanna said in a Sunday interview with Welker on NBC. “I hope my colleagues will say no.”

Jeffries also signaled Sunday that a wide gap remains between his conference and House Republicans, telling ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that the House must reach an agreement on judicial warrants “as a condition of moving forward.”

“The one thing that we’ve said publicly is that we need a robust path toward dramatic reform,” Jeffries said on ABC’s “This Week.” “The administration can’t just talk the talk, they need to walk the walk. That should begin today. Not in two weeks, today.”

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Shutdown likely to continue at least into Tuesday

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The partial government shutdown that began early Saturday morning is on track to continue at least into Tuesday, which is the earliest the House is now expected to vote on a $1.2 trillion funding package due to opposition from Democrats and internal GOP strife.

House Republican leaders have scheduled a Monday meeting of the House Rules Committee to prepare the massive Senate-passed spending bill for the floor. According to two people granted anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, the procedural measure teeing up a final vote would not happen until Tuesday, with final passage following if that is successful.

That’s one day later than GOP leaders had hoped. Their previous plan was to pass the bill with Democratic help under suspension of the rules, a fast-track process requiring a two-thirds-majority vote.

But that plan was complicated by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries telling Speaker Mike Johnson in a private conversation Saturday that Democratic leadership would not help Johnson secure the 70 or so Democratic votes to get the measure over the line, according to the two people and another person granted anonymity to discuss the matter.

The Tuesday plan remains tentative as GOP leaders scramble to navigate tensions inside their own conference, which could make passing the procedural measure difficult. Some conservative hard-liners, for instance, want to attach a sweeping elections bill to the package.

Jeffries said in a MS NOW interview Saturday that Republicans “cannot simply move forward with legislation taking a my way or the highway approach” while noting that House Democrats are set to have “a discussion about the appropriate way forward” in a Sunday evening caucus call — first reported by Blue Light News.

He did not rule out that Democrats might support the Senate-passed spending package, which funds the majority of federal agencies through Sept. 30 while providing a two-week extension for the Department of Homeland Security — including controversial immigration enforcement agencies.

Democrats, Jeffries said, want “a robust, ironclad path to bringing about the type of change that the American people are demanding” in immigration enforcement.

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Here’s what federal programs are headed for a (possibly brief) shutdown

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Government funding is set to lapse at midnight Friday for the military and many domestic programs, but cash will continue to flow at a slew of federal agencies Congress already funded.

House leaders are aiming to send a funding package to President Donald Trump Monday, days after the Senate passed the legislation just before the deadline to avert a partial shutdown.

The effect on most federal programs is expected to be minor, and employees who are furloughed would miss just one day of work if the House acts on schedule — which is not assured.

This time, many of the services that have the greatest public impact when shuttered — like farm loans, SNAP food assistance to low-income households and upkeep at national parks — will continue. That’s because Congress already funded some agencies in November and earlier this month, including the departments of Energy, Commerce, Justice, Agriculture, Interior and Veterans Affairs, as well as military construction projects, the EPA, congressional operations, the FDA and federal science programs.

Still, the spending package congressional leaders are trying to clear for Trump’s signature next week contains the vast majority of the funding Congress approves each year to run federal programs, including $839 billion for the military.

Besides the Pentagon, funding will lapse for several major nondefense agencies beginning early Saturday morning.

That includes federal transportation, labor, housing, education and health programs, along with the IRS, independent trade agencies and foreign aid. The departments of Homeland Security, State and Treasury will also be hit by the shutdown.

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