WASHINGTON — Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy indicated Sunday that the Democrats would likely be willing to end the government shutdown for about $20 billion, a figure far lower than previously requested.
Democratic leadership has publicly demanded a permanent extension of the enhanced Obamacare subsidies, a reversal of the GOP-backed Medicaid reforms, and other concessions, which would cost an estimated $1.5 trillion over the next decade.
“We could probably come up with something pretty quickly,” Murphy (D-Conn.) told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. “The president just announced $20 billion going to bail out the Argentinian economy.”
“For $20 billion, we could open the government back up. That’s enough money to relieve a lot of pressure,” he continued. “We can get this deal done in a day.”
Murphy has joined with Senate Democrats in using the filibuster to block a “clean” GOP-backed stopgap measure that would open the government back up through Nov. 21.
Republicans only need five Senate Dem defections to get the 60 votes needed to break the filibuster and reopen the government, which has been partially shut down since Oct. 1.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has made clear that Democrats are adamant about having a permanent extension of the enhanced Obamacare subsidies, which are set to expire by the end of the year.
A full extension of the enhanced Obamacare Premium Tax Credits would cost $350 billion over the next decade, according to an estimate from the Congressional Budget Office.
A one-year extension would cost taxpayers $23.4 billion, according to the CBO. The original Obamacare subsidies will remain intact regardless of whether Congress addresses the enhanced refundable tax credits.
If Democrats stand by their Medicaid demands as well as their Obamacare demands, the price tag would be $1.5 trillion over a decade, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
The Connecticut senator didn’t specify whether a hypothetical $20 billion deal would take place over a year or a decade.
Murphy’s discussion of the Argentina bailout refers to a $20 billion currency swap announced earlier this month.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has promised that the US “will not lose money” on the deal, which is intended to stem the Peso’s plunge.
Republicans have long been open to extending the enhanced Obamacare subsidies — with reforms, but have insisted the debate take place separately from the government shutdown fight.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) offered this month to guarantee a vote on an extension of the enhanced Obamacare subsidies if Democrats agree to reopen the government first through the “clean” stopgap.
“That doesn’t help anybody in my state because all these Republicans are going to vote against it,” Murphy shot back about Thune’s offer.
Last week, Murphy joined most of his Democratic colleagues in torpedoing a GOP-backed measure to pay federal employees mandated to work during the shutdown.
Murphy had previously knocked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) for avoiding a government shutdown in March, without scoring concessions from Republicans.
The government shutdown is currently the second-longest in US history and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.
On Nov. 1, notices will start going out for enrollment in health insurance plans, which could mean Americans will start learning their healthcare premiums are going up.
Additionally, next month, funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women, Infants and Children (WIC), is set to run dry, making the shutdown even more painful.
House Democrats are expected to convene a meeting this week to discuss their strategy in the shutdown fight.
