Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) on Oct. 17 reiterated that the government needs to be reopened before any talks with Democrats on health care.
The majority leader said on social media that he would be willing to hold talks with Democrats on “growing unaffordability and unsustainability of Obamacare,” or the Affordable Care Act.
“I’m even willing to give them a vote. Today. Tomorrow. Next week. You name it,” he said in a post on X. “But there’s one condition: End the Schumer Shutdown. I will not negotiate under hostage conditions, nor will I pay a ransom. Period.”
Democratic Party lawmakers have said that any plan to reopen the government should include health care subsidies that are set to expire at the end of 2025. Republicans said that the two issues are separate and that any negotiations should come after the shutdown ends….
Thune Says He Won’t Negotiate ‘Under Hostage Conditions’ to End Shutdown
