OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
6:23 PM – Friday, November 7, 2025
Senate Majority Leader John Thune rejected a Democrat proposal to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, dismissing a one-year extension of Obamacare premium tax credits in exchange for reopening the government as a “non-starter” that “doesn’t even get close.”
On Friday, the assertive rebuke came just hours after Senate Democrats, led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), offered what Schumer described as a “reasonable compromise” to break a 38-day impasse that has left more than 2 million federal workers unpaid, closed national parks, and triggered widespread flight delays.
While speaking to reporters outside the Senate chamber, Thune (R-S.D.) accused Democrats of trying to lock in unfunded entitlements without fiscal offsets. He maintained that not only was it not a serious offer, but rather, obvious political gamesmanship, further declaring that Americans want their government open — not held hostage over failed Obamacare policies.
“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,” Thune told CBS News. “But you know, a one-year extension along the lines of what they’re suggesting, I think everybody knows they’re – and without Hyde protections – it doesn’t even get close.”
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The Democrat proposal would have paired immediate passage of a clean continuing resolution, already approved by the House on October 1st, with a 12-month extension of enhanced Obamacare subsidies set to expire December 31st.
Soon after, Schumer called the rejection “unacceptable” and warned that without action, certain groups could face premium increases of 20% to 30% next year. The standoff marked the 15th failed Senate vote on government funding in recent weeks, and Democrats have filibustered a Republican-backed clean CR 14 times, demanding that any funding bill include protections for the Obamacare credits.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) further hardened the GOP position on Friday afternoon as well, reiterating to Fox News that the House would not support any deal that includes Obamacare extensions. Johnson also asserted that Republicans’ priorities come down to cutting spending and securing the border, not propping up Biden’s preferred health care law.
Additionally, President Trump weighed in on the matter on Truth Social, calling the recent Democrat offer “extortion” while praising Thune for standing firm.
The shutdown has cost the economy an estimated $6 billion per day, according to the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. TSA checkpoints are understaffed, leading to thousands of flight cancellations, while national parks remain gated and federal services — from passport processing to veterans’ benefits — grind to a halt.
Meanwhile, behind closed doors, some more moderate Senate Republicans have expressed private support for a short-term Obamacare bridge to avoid year-end chaos. However, Democrat leadership at the very top shows no signs of budging.
Thune scheduled another funding vote for Monday, but with Democrats vowing to block any bill without healthcare relief, the shutdown appears poised to stretch into a sixth week.
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