Senate Majority Leader John Thune has clarified that extending the soon-to-expire Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies will necessitate a 60-vote majority. This requirement comes as Senate lawmakers approach a potential deal to reopen the government and pave the way for future health care discussions.
Democrats have quietly proposed allowing the Senate to vote on the subsidies with a simple-majority threshold, rather than the standard 6, but Thune has dismissed this notion. He argued that such a proposal would be unreasonable, highlighting the disagreement over the legislative process.
Agreeing to a health care vote would be part of a broader shutdown-ending deal that lawmakers are considering. This deal could include advancing a new temporary spending bill, moving some full-year funding legislation, and scheduling a guaranteed vote once the government reopens on the ACA subsidies, which expire on December 31.
Thune is open to another possibility under discussion: attaching the full-year Agriculture-FDA, Military Construction-VA, and Legislative Branch appropriations bills to an updated stopgap. However, the terms of the health care vote remain a key point of contention, as Republicans disagree on the duration of a temporary funding bill that would allow lawmakers to draft new long-term spending legislation. Thune previously advocated for the stopgap to extend into 2026 but has not ruled out a tighter timeline favored by some GOP appropriators.
Speaker Mike Johnson has also confirmed that he is eager to avoid a holiday-season jam, facing significant pressure from hardline GOP members who want to push the deadline into March or even later in the year. Johnson expressed hesitation about extending the stopgap to December and is working to finalize a new stopgap bill to send back to the House by week’s end.
Johnson confirmed the House will return to Washington once the Senate reaches an agreement to reopen the government, with members getting 48 hours notice. Under Thune’s best-case timeline, this would bring the House back early next week, concluding what would be a seven-week recess.