Schumer Offer to End US Shutdown Is Rejected by GOP Senators

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00:00After so many failed votes, it's clear we need to try something different.

00:06What the Senate is doing isn't working for either party and isn't working for the American

00:11people.

00:13Democrats have said we must address the health care crisis.

00:17But Republicans have repeatedly said they won't negotiate to lower the health care

00:21costs until the government reopens.

00:25So let's find a path to honor both positions.

00:29Democrats would like to see an end to this shutdown, and we want to respect Leader Thune's

00:34desire not to negotiate on ACA until after the government reopens.

00:39Therefore, we'd like to offer a simple proposal that would reopen the government and extend

00:46the ACA premium tax credits simultaneously, and then have the opportunity to start negotiating

00:54longer-term solutions to health care costs.

00:58Let's do all three.

01:00I've spoken with my caucus, and Democrats are offering a very simple compromise.

01:07Democrats are ready to clear the way to quickly pass a government funding bill that includes

01:12health care affordability.

01:13Leader Thune just needs to add a clean one-year extension of the ACA tax credits to the CR so

01:21that we can immediately address rising health care costs.

01:26That's not a negotiation.

01:28It's an extension of current law, something we do all the time around here, as we all know.

01:36But we also offer this.

01:38Let's create a bipartisan committee that will continue negotiations after the government reopens

01:44on reforms ahead of next year's enrollment period to provide long-term certainty that health

01:51care costs will be more affordable.

01:54This proposal reopens the government and ensures working families who are shopping right now

01:59for their health care get certainty and financial relief.

02:04While open enrollment has begun, insurers can update their rates after we pass a simple

02:11extension of the tax credits.

02:14With this approach, we do not negotiate health care in the shutdown, as Leader Thune has maintained

02:20what he wishes, and the American people get the tax credit extension they want.

02:26That is what many of our Republican colleagues have floated over the last six weeks as a compromise,

02:32a one-year tax credit extension and reforms to the credit beyond that.

02:37We will agree with the Republican request not to start negotiations until after the government

02:44reopens.

02:46All Republicans have to do is say yes to extend current law for one year.

02:52It makes sense.

02:54And since what we're proposing is only a simple extension of current law, the Senate could do

03:00this within a few hours.

03:04This is a reasonable offer that reopens the government, deals with health care affordability, and begins

03:11a process of negotiating reforms to the ACA tax credits for the future.

03:18Now the ball is in the Republicans' court.

03:23We need Republicans to just say yes.

03:27I yield to Senator Peters.

03:28I yield to Senator Peters.

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