Thune slams Democrats' 'cold-blooded partisan' tactics as funding deadline nears

With the Sept. 30 funding deadline looming, Senate Republicans are pressing a strategy to push through a short-term extension while Democrats demand a seat at the negotiating table. After dueling continuing resolutions were blocked by both parties last week, lawmakers left Washington for a break through Sept. 29, leaving the Senate with two working days to avert a potential lapse in funding.

Republicans want a clean extension that would last through Nov. 21 and include no partisan policy riders. Democrats, led in the Senate by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, say they need concessions on several policy items before agreeing to any extension. Their plan would extend expiring Obamacare subsidies, claw back canceled funding for NPR and PBS, and repeal elements of President Trump’s health provisions while safeguarding other priorities. Democrats argue that extending health subsidies now—rather than at year’s end—would prevent a gap for struggling households and preserve a broader negotiating posture on the floor.

Thune has signaled he would bring the House Republicans’ stopgap CR to the floor, signaling a willingness to use the recess and the looming deadline as leverage. He has not ruled out negotiation, but he has been blunt that the Democrats’ proposal is not acceptable to the GOP. In his view, the Democratic plan would be unlikely to pass in a Republican-controlled House, making it unrealistic as a vehicle for a timely resolution. Thune’s pitch centers on a narrowly crafted extension that avoids additional policy changes while buying time for a broader deal—though he has faced resistance from some Republican veterans to moving ahead without Democratic buy-in.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has insisted the House would not return before the deadline, has aligned with the broader strategy of pressuring Democrats to accept a shorter, more conditional extension. The Senate’s plan to move a House-passed CR would force a direct test of whether Democrats can obtain the 60 votes needed to pass in the chamber, underscoring the party-line stalemate that has stalled compromise.

Democrats have argued that any temporary funding extension must come with protections and policy accommodations that reflect the needs of their base and their constituents, especially on health subsidies. Schumer and other Senate Democrats have argued that Republican intransigence is part of a broader effort to extract political wins by forcing a showdown ahead of the deadline. They have pressed Trump and Republican leadership to engage in direct negotiations, warning that any approach that excludes Democrats would contribute to a shutdown.

Sen. Rand Paul, who voted against the GOP’s latest bill, joined Lisa Murkowski in voicing concerns about moving forward with a plan that Democrats say would lack the votes to pass in a split Congress. Murkowski, an appropriator, indicated she wants a shorter-term fix that also addresses previous appropriations and the premium tax credits. Only Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat, supported the GOP-proposed stopgap in the latest vote, signaling the depth of the partisan divide as the deadline approached.

The debate has spilled into the public sphere, with Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries warning that a shutdown would fall squarely on Republicans if a deal is not reached. They pointed to Trump’s position on the process, arguing that Republicans are leaning on a strategy that could lead to a lapse in funding if negotiations stall. Trump himself has indicated that a meeting with congressional leaders could be arranged, but he has warned that the outcome remains uncertain and that a shutdown could occur if talks falter.

Analysts caution that a government shutdown would have immediate and tangible effects on federal services and could complicate the implementation of health subsidies and other ongoing programs. The two sides have spent days trading barbs over responsibility for a potential lapse, with Republicans arguing Democrats have refused to negotiate in good faith and Democrats arguing that Republicans are attempting to leverage a crisis to force policy concessions.

The central issue remains whether a short-term extension devoid of substantive policy changes can win broad support in a closely divided Senate and whether the House will eventually back any package that aligns with the Democrats’ priorities. Time is tight, and the political heat is rising as Sept. 30 approaches. If no agreement is reached, a partial government shutdown could begin at midnight on Oct. 1, with lawmakers then facing the hard work of negotiations to restore funding and address policy debates that extend beyond the immediate crisis.

Ultimately, the standoff encapsulates a broader dynamic in US politics: Republicans seeking to use the deadline to extract concessions on policy, while Democrats resist ceding leverage without ensuring protections for health subsidies and other priorities. As the clock ticks, Capitol Hill watchers say the possibility of a last-minute deal remains, but the path forward is anything but clear.