A group of GOP senators are working on legislation to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies with policy changes designed to win over conservatives, according to four people granted anonymity to disclose private discussions.

This group has gotten “technical assistance” from the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over the subsidies, according to two of the sources. The Obamacare subsidies are set to expire at the end of this year.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, an Alabama Republican running for governor, said in an interview Monday he was “part of that group that’s working on the wording to make sure we do it right.”

An expiration of the credits, he said, “would hurt my state, Alabama.”

The development comes as Democrats are mounting a huge push to make an extension of the enhanced tax credits necessary for them to support a bill that funds the government beyond Sept. 30. It also comes as a growing number of Republicans say failure to act on such an extension would be a political mistake heading into the midterms.

Congressional budget scorers estimate that millions of people would be forced to drop their health insurance plans as a result of higher premiums that could kick in as a result of the letting the subsidies sunset.

House Republicans have already joined with some Democrats on a bill that would extend the credits for one year but not impose any new restrictions on who can take advantage of the subsidies. In contrast, the Senate bill, which is not being driven by leadership, appears to be in its early stages, according to two of the people aware of the effort.

It also remains unclear which GOP senator is spearheading this effort, and which Republicans other than Tuberville are at the table. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), in an interview Monday, wouldn’t say whether she was involved but said, “we’ve got to get some level of consensus.”

“I don’t think we’re going to be able to get a permanent extension; I don’t think that’s wise,” she said. “I’m looking to perhaps do some some reforms to it, but I think it is something that we are going to be forced to deal with, to reckon with, in my state.”

Senate Finance Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) also acknowledged in an interview that Republicans will likely need to address the issue: “I believe at some point we’re going to need to deal with it.”

Meanwhile, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), who authored the legislation that first boosted the credits in 2021, has been talking to Republican colleagues about where their party might be able to land on the issue, according to a person granted anonymity to share confidential conversations between lawmakers. She’s also encouraging Republicans to work behind-the-scenes to build support inside their conference.

“There are still many questions still left to sort out,” the person added.

If the proposal comes to fruition, it could emerge as a consensus measure for Republicans: Conservatives are broadly in favor of tying some reforms to the subsidies they claim are currently wasteful, expensive and overwhelmingly benefit higher-earners.

Among the floated ideas include putting a new income cap on who can claim the bigger subsidies, while some outside groups are expected to push for language that would prohibit the tax credits from helping offset cost of insurance plans that cover abortions.

It’s not clear Democrats would accept terms and conditions for extending the tax credits, but Shaheen, in a statement, said any discussions across the aisle were a positive development.

“I’m glad that some of my Republican colleagues recognize the need to get something done to avoid the largest health insurance premium price increases in 15 years — which would boot more than four million Americans from their health care and make costs skyrocket for millions more,” she said. “If Senate Republicans fail to come to the table in a meaningful way, they’ll have to explain to their constituents why they took away a tool to make health care affordable for working families at a time when too many are struggling to make ends meet.”

She added, “The only way we will avoid this bad outcome is if Republicans will come to the table in good faith so we can find a path forward.”

Two House Republicans say they will oppose Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to pass a “clean” stopgap spending bill this week that would punt a possible government shutdown into November, threatening GOP leaders’ plan to jam Senate Democrats ahead of the Sept. 30 funding deadline.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who regularly opposes leadership-backed spending bills, said in a brief interview Monday he would oppose the new expected continuing resolution as well.

“I am a No unless it cuts spending, which I do not anticipate,” he said.

Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) said in an X post Sunday night that she was also a “no,” saying she could not “cannot support [a CR] that ends funding right before a major holiday to jam us with an Omnibus.” The Johnson-backed measure is expected to expire on the Friday before Thanksgiving.

Two “no” votes would put House Republicans at risk of losing a party-line vote if one additional GOP member breaks ranks. Spartz, it should be noted, has a long history of delivering ultimatums only to change her mind before under pressure from the White House.

Leaders are aiming to unveil text as soon as Monday, though they still need to work out final details of adding enhanced member security funding following the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Two people granted anonymity to candidly describe the private talks said it could end up on a separate package of several full-year funding bills.

Other Republicans, meanwhile, are airing their displeasure with Johnson’s strategy — even though a similar play was credited with forcing a Democratic surrender back in March, the last time lawmakers dealt with a shutdown deadline.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) posted Monday that another CR would continue funding levels established under former President Joe Biden, referring to it as “Biden’s budget that FUNDS TRANSGENDER POLICIES, NOT our own Trump policy budget that funds what you voted for.”

She also criticized Johnson for holding “zero meetings” about the stopgap plan and continuing a “charade” of an appropriations process. But she did not say explicitly that she would oppose it.

Republicans are getting ready to reveal a short-term bill to fund the government through Nov. 20, despite Democrats’ demands for buy-in in any legislation to avert a shutdown.

Text of the continuing resolution is expected to be released as early as Monday morning, according to three Republicans. Here’s the latest:

The timeline: House Republicans want to put the CR on the floor this week. That still likely won’t give the Senate enough time to schedule a vote before next week’s recess in observance of Rosh Hashanah, however, leaving Congress with just days left to act before the Sept. 30 deadline.

The holdup: House Republican leaders are working to attach increased lawmaker security funding to the stopgap bill in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox on Sunday morning that all options are on the table, and three people tell Meredith it’s the final piece to resolve. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has also been doing some last-minute lobbying for his bipartisan Russia sanctions bill to hitch a ride on the CR. But two people granted anonymity to discuss the views of GOP leadership say it’s not going in without President Donald Trump’s explicit and public backing.

The big problem: Democrats in both chambers insist they will not accept any funding agreement without bipartisan talks, and Republicans are going it alone. They also say they need the CR to include an extension of enhanced tax credits for Affordable Care Act insurance premiums, which are due to expire at the end of the year. Republicans are still figuring out how to proceed on that one.

A key question is how Democrats will vote in the Senate, where Republicans won’t be able to move government funding legislation without support across the aisle. Many Republicans are banking on a do-over of what happened in March, when Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer shored up support for a procedural vote on a shutdown-averting package negotiated only among the GOP.

But Schumer got an earful from his party’s base about not fighting harder for a better deal, and he’s currently warning his GOP colleagues that a CR without the ACA credit extension is a deal-breaker.

“If Republicans follow Donald Trump’s orders to not even bother dealing with Democrats they will be single handedly putting our country on the path toward a shutdown,” said a Schumer spokesperson Sunday night.

Some Senate Democrats have suggested they could support a “clean” stopgap funding bill now if it’s intended to buy more time toward negotiating an ACA subsidies extension later. But many of them are holding back on opining without first knowing what Republicans are officially offering.

“I’m not going to comment until I see what actually happens. It’s all speculation right now,” Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) told Blue Light News.

What else we’re watching:   

— Senate rules change: This week Majority Leader John Thune will steer Senate Republicans toward finalizing their rules change to allow most executive branch nominees to be confirmed in batches. It will put Republicans on track to confirm their first tranche of 48 nominees including Kimberly Guilfoyle and Callista Gingrich to be ambassadors to Greece and Switzerland, respectively.

— DC bills get House vote: It’s shaping up to be a major week for the District of Columbia on Capitol Hill. A slate of bills will come to the House floor that would override laws put in place by the D.C. government, and the capital city’s top three leaders will appear before a key committee. This comes after Trump’s month-long federal takeover of D.C.’s police department and as the National Guard continues to patrol the city’s streets. Republicans remain intent on casting Washington as an example of a Democratic-led jurisdiction overrun by violent crime.

— Miran confirmation: The Senate is poised to confirm Stephen Miran Monday evening to the Federal Reserve, just around a month after the Trump ally was first nominated. The chamber has moved at blinding speed to install Miran so he can be in seat when the Fed kicks off its September meeting Tuesday, at which time the central bank is widely expected to cut interest rates.

Meredith Lee Hill, Jordain Carney and Hailey Fuchs contributed to this report.