Senate Democrats will propose a three-year extension of soon-to-expire Affordable Care Act subsidies for an expected floor vote next week, according to two people granted anonymity to discuss caucus strategy.
Democrats get to decide what proposal the Senate votes on as part of a deal struck with Senate Majority Leader John Thune last month to end the government shutdown. The Senate is expected to hold that vote Dec. 11.
The strategy likely helps Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer keep his caucus unified on the vote, and it aligns his caucus with House Democrats’ plan to try to force a vote on a three-year extension through a discharge petition.
But it will also limit any chance they would be able to peel off more than a couple of Republicans. Thune said in an interview Wednesday that pitching a clean three-year extension is “designed to fail.”
To get a deal on the subsidies through the Senate, it would need 60 votes to advance. Some GOP senators, including Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, have backed a two-year extension but have acknowledged there would need to be income caps and other restrictions to pick up more GOP support. Whether or not to include abortion funding restrictions is also a major sticking point.
Spokespeople for Schumer didn’t immediately respond to a question about the plan. Schumer declined to tip his hand earlier Wednesday when asked after a meeting with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries if Senate Democrats would offer a three-year extension.
“Stay tuned,” he told reporters.
Some of his members want Democrats to put up a more sweeping health care proposal, while others have been discussing a potential compromise with Republicans that would extend the subsidies but with new restrictions.
Senate Republicans need to decide whether they will offer their own counterproposal for a vote next week. Senate Finance Chair Mike Crapo and Senate HELP Chair Bill Cassidy talked through their ideas, along with other GOP senators, at a closed-door Tuesday lunch.
Thune on Wednesday evening said they had not yet made a “final decision” on whether they would put a proposal up for a vote next week.
“We’ll kind of see what the temperature of our members is,” Thune said.
Mia McCarthy contributed to this report.
