Senate Majority Leader John Thune said it offered Democrats a chance to address their top priority in an effort to end the government shutdown, but it was not enough to end the impasse.
Thune, during an interview on MSNBC which aired Thursday morning, said he had offered Democrats a vote on extending Affordable Care Act premium subsidies but could not guarantee an outcome. Thune said he will not negotiate the details of an Obamacare subsidy deal until the government reopens.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks to reporters as Senate Republican leaders hold a news conference following their weekly policy lunch on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 15, 2025.
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“I told him. I said, and I said, ‘We’re willing to have the conversation.’ I said, ‘If you need a vote, we can guarantee you’ll get it by a certain date.’ At some point Democrats are going to have to take yes for an answer,” Thune said in the interview, which was recorded Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters Thursday afternoon that Republicans did not offer any proposals for a vote to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies, putting congressional leaders at odds as the shutdown continues.
“Look, we’re not negotiating in public. Plain and simple,” Schumer said when asked if Thune had made the offer. “Leader Thune has not come to me at the moment with any proposal.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks to reporters as Senate Democratic leaders hold a news conference following their weekly policy lunch on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 15, 2025.
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Senate Democrats have been demanding solutions to health care to prevent an increase in premiums for many low- and middle-income Americans and thus unlock their support for government funding. Democrats have been unwavering in their demands as the shutdown stretches into its 16th day.
On Thursday, the Senate failed for the tenth time to advance the GOP government funding bill. The Senate is expected to leave Washington later in the day, virtually guaranteeing that the government shutdown will last at least until Monday.
In addition to the vote on the short-term government funding bill, Thune will try a new tactic later Thursday, adding a procedural vote on a bill that would fund the Defense Department for the entire calendar year and guarantee troop salaries.
Thursday’s vote is a different type of vote than previous ones related to the shutdown. This vote begins debate on one of the 12 regular-order annual appropriations bills that keep the government running.
Thune has signaled that if the Senate successfully supports this package on Thursday, he will attempt to attach funding bills for additional agencies to it using regular order on the Senate floor.
Reopening the government is a crucial first step in continuing discussions about health care reforms, Thune said on MSNBC. He committed to talks, but not to an outcome.
“I think there is a way forward, but it has to include reforms, and can I guarantee an outcome? No. And that’s what people want to see: guarantee us that this is going to happen,” Thune said. “I can’t guarantee it will pass. I can guarantee you there will be a process and you will get a vote.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson answers questions during a news conference on Day 16 of the government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Oct. 16, 2025.
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When asked about Thune’s comments, President Mike Johnson reiterated Thursday morning that health care outcomes cannot be guaranteed.
“It’s not possible for Leader Thune to guarantee Chuck Schumer any outcome on this, because we haven’t finished those deliberations. I mean, that’s as simple as it is,” Johnson said Thursday morning.
Thune said there is bipartisan interest in keeping health care costs down. But changes need to be made to the program, and negotiations on those changes begin with the government opening, Thune said.
Republicans have maintained they will not negotiate with Democrats while the government is shut down. But Democrats aren’t getting carried away with the promise of future negotiations: pushing for a deal that addresses health care and also reopens the government.
“The American people are facing one of the most devastating crises they have ever faced in terms of costs, and “We have not yet heard rumors of any negotiations with Johnson or Thune,” Schumer said Thursday.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks to reporters as Senate Republican leaders hold a news conference following their weekly policy lunch on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 15, 2025.
Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters
Thune could not guarantee that the closure would end soon. When asked by Ali Vitali if he thought it would all be over by Thanksgiving, Thune was noncommittal.
“I hope it doesn’t last until Thanksgiving, because it will cause a lot of harm to the American people,” he said.
ABC News’ Lauren Peller contributed to this report.
