REPORT: Senate Republicans Close To Caving On Democrat Shutdown Demands

As the federal government shutdown drags through its 36th day, bipartisan talks to reopen the government are gaining steam, with Republicans reportedly set to cave on a number of key Democrat demands due to political fallout. 

Centrist senators, numbering around a dozen Democrats and a handful of Republicans, have been meeting intensively since early this week to hammer out a compromise continuing resolution (CR) that could reopen federal operations. The discussions center on attaching full-year funding for key sectors — such as agriculture, veterans’ affairs, and military construction — to a short-term spending extension, while addressing Democratic priorities like the extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies set to expire at year’s end.

The core sticking point remains the ACA subsidies, which have helped cap premiums for over 20 million enrollees at 8.5% of household income. Democrats have insisted on commitments for their renewal, viewing the shutdown as leverage to secure these protections.

Republicans, however, have pushed for a “clean” CR initially, arguing that policy add-ons should be handled separately to avoid derailing basic government funding. Recent proposals include a future standalone vote on the subsidies, potentially with a two-year extension and an income cap between $200,000 and $400,000, though details are still fluid.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has been at the forefront of these efforts, emphasizing the urgency as the impasse surpasses the previous record of 35 days set in 2018-2019. On November 6, Thune told reporters that Republicans are awaiting a counterproposal from Democrats on a GOP-drafted package, stating, “We’re prepared to work through the weekend if that’s what it takes to get this resolved.”

His comments reflect a growing willingness among GOP leaders to extend sessions beyond the typical schedule, especially with the House-passed CR deadline of November 21 approaching. Thune added that the Senate plans to keep the filibuster intact, saying, “that’s not happening” in response to President Trump’s calls to eliminate it

Instead, the chamber could adjust the CR’s expiration to January 2026 for more negotiation time.

Other Republican lawmakers echoed this commitment to weekend haggling. Senator Jim Justice (R-WV), who has advocated for greater White House involvement, remarked on the Senate floor earlier this week, “Right now, the problem is everybody wants to win… But we’ve got to sit down and grind this out, even if it means burning the midnight oil this weekend.”

Justice’s frustration stems from the political fallout, including recent election losses that he and President Trump attributed partly to the shutdown’s unpopularity. In a November 5 meeting with GOP lawmakers, Trump reportedly urged them to end the stalemate, warning that the party is “getting killed” politically.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) reinforced this push during a Capitol press conference on November 6, declining to commit to an immediate House vote on ACA subsidies. “We’re mindful of the calendar and giving all of our attention to” resolving the funding gap, he said.

Johnson has kept the House adjourned since September but indicated readiness to reconvene swiftly upon Senate action.

On the Democrat side, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has coordinated with House counterparts to maintain party unity, urging centrists via private calls to “hold the line” against concessions without firm subsidy protections. A group of moderate Democrats, including Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ), have expressed openness to the GOP offramp but only if it includes enforceable timelines for health care votes.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NNY) joined these efforts on November 5, pressing Senate colleagues during a caucus call to prioritize long-term ACA stability over short-term reopenings. Sources familiar with the talks describe the atmosphere as “intense but productive,” with sessions extending into evenings and potential announcements eyed for later this week.

The path to agreement has been obstructed by repeated procedural failures in the Senate. As of November 4, Democrats have voted against advancing the House-passed clean CR on 14 separate cloture motions, each requiring 60 votes to proceed but falling short, typically 47-53 or similar margins. In most cases, all 47 Democratic senators—plus independent Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who caucuses with them, opposed the measures, citing the lack of subsidy language. Rare exceptions included support from Senators Cortez Masto (D-NV), Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), and King in a couple of instances, but these were not enough to break the filibuster.