Senate Republicans, heading into a leadership meeting on Friday afternoon, projected that the Democratic offer made by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer earlier Friday is a “non-starter” — at least in its current form.
“I think everybody who follows this knows that’s a nonstarter. There is no way. The Obamacare extension is the negotiation. That’s what we’re going to negotiate, once the government opens up,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said.
Sen. Rick Scott, a Florida Republican, seemed angered by the proposal.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks on the floor of the Senate in Washington, Nov. 7, 2025.
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“They’re okay with people needing food, not getting food stamps, but they want to make sure people get health care subsidies that could be worth a million bucks. How? Tell me how that makes any sense. That’s exactly what they’re doing,” he said.
Still, Republicans say the offer is a step in the right direction. They said it shows Democrats are willing to negotiate.
“I think it’s an indication that they’re, yeah, I mean, they’re feeling the heat, and they know that their last proposal was unserious and unrealistic. But so I guess you can characterize that as progress, but I just don’t think that it gets anywhere close to what we need to do here, and they know it,” Thune said.
-ABC News’ Allison Pecorin and Isabella Murray
Source: abc news
