Congress struggles to resolve shutdown crisis

Congress is still working to end the shutdown, with both sides continuing to dig in and little progress toward a deal.

The details:

• Oct. 15 deadline avoided: Active-duty military members were scheduled to miss their first paycheck last Wednesday, which was providing urgency to the negotiations as members of Congress and the administration sought to prevent that from happening. But before the deadline hit, President Trump directed the Defense Department to use other funds to pay the troops. The Pentagon tapped into its research and development accounts to use funding Congress made available for two years. But that move may be illegal.
• But Nov. 1 deadline looms: State insurance officials are warning that the longer Congress waits to extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies, the more difficult it will be to update rates before open enrollment starts Nov. 1, with some saying it is already too late. Some enrollees, particularly young and healthy people, could drop coverage when they see higher rates, even if rates can be adjusted later. This would worsen the risk pool, driving up costs even more. Insurers filed rates under the assumption that the subsidies will expire. If a deal comes later in Nov. or Dec., states might opt to not update rates, or it could take them weeks to update their systems and communicate to enrollees.
• The votes: The Senate voted several more times last week on the spending bill, most recently Monday, when it for the 11th time voted down the House-passed bill. Those voting for and against have not changed.
• New demands: The decision to fire thousands of federal workers this month was meant to pressure Democrats into quickly ending the shutdown, but it could have the opposite effect. Many Democrats now say they want a commitment that employees subject to reductions in force will be rehired before they agree to reopen the government.
• New pressure: Senate GOP leaders are looking to pressure Democrats to make progress on full-year spending bills, including the Defense appropriations bill and a “minibus” that would fund the Agriculture Department, Veterans Affairs, the Food and Drug Administration, and the operations of Congress. Lawmakers were making progress on these bipartisan bills before the shutdown, but most discussions then ground to a halt. GOP senators have also discussed attaching funding for the Department of Labor and Department of Health and Human Services to the Defense bill to entice Democratic cooperation. But Democrats have raised concerns about advancing that package without larger assurances around the appropriations process and larger shutdown talks, as Republicans raise additional threats to claw back congressionally appropriated funding. Senate Democrats blocked the Defense appropriations bill.