While the Senate is stuck in a loop of failed votes on a rejected plan to reopen the government, President Donald Trump is threatening to mass fire federal workers and refuse back pay for the rest.<\/p>\n
We want to know your thoughts on the government shutdown.\u00a0How are you and your family affected? Share your story \u2014 Send us a message or a voice note through the WTOP News app on\u00a0Apple\u00a0<\/a>or\u00a0Android<\/a>. Click the \u201cFeedback\u201d button in the app\u2019s navigation bar.<\/b><\/p>\n WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Tours at the Capitol have come to a standstill. The House is keeping its doors closed, while the Senate is stuck in a loop of failed votes<\/a> on a rejected plan to reopen the government. President Donald Trump<\/a> is threatening to mass fire federal workers and refuse back pay<\/a> for the rest.<\/p>\n As the government shutdown<\/a> enters a second week, there\u2019s no discernible endgame in sight.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to negotiate,\u201d Sen. Bernie Sanders, the independent from Vermont, argued late into the evening on the Senate floor. \u201cThat\u2019s the way it works.\u201d<\/p>\n But no negotiations, at least publicly, are underway.<\/p>\n Shutdown grinds on, but signs of quiet talks<\/p>\n The Republicans who have majority control in Congress believe they have the upper hand politically, as they fend off Democratic demands to quickly fund health insurance subsidies<\/a> as part of any plan to end the shutdown. <\/p>\n But so have Democrats dug in, convinced that Americans are on their side in the fight to prevent the looming health care price spikes<\/a> and blaming Trump for the shutdown.<\/p>\n Behind the scenes, though, signs of discomfort are apparent.<\/p>\n A loosely formed collection of senators, Republicans and Democrats, have bantered about options for addressing the health insurance problem. One, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, has offered her own plans. <\/p>\n Two prominent Republicans, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene<\/a> of Georgia and Sen. Josh Hawley<\/a> of Missouri, have said something must be done to stop the health insurance rate hikes. <\/p>\n And Trump himself signaled he was open to negotiating with Democrats over their demands to save health care subsidies. Earlier this week, the president said that talks were already underway as he wants \u201cgreat health care\u201d for the people, only to shift his tone hours later to say the government must reopen first.<\/p>\n Trump wants to make a health care deal<\/p>\n \u201cI spoke to the president at length yesterday about that very thing,\u201d House Speaker Mike Johnson<\/a> said about his Monday conversation with Trump. \u201cAnd yes, he wants to solve problems.\u201d<\/p>\n At its core, the debate is over the health care issue<\/a> that has tangled Congress for years, and in particular, the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, that Trump tried, and failed, to repeal and replace<\/a> during his first term at the White House.<\/p>\n Congress increased the federal subsidies that help people purchase private insurance policies on the Affordable Care Act exchanges during the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal aid was popular, and it boosted ACA enrollment to a record 24 million people<\/a>. Those enhanced subsidies are set to expire at year\u2019s end.<\/p>\n Republicans say Congress can deal with the health insurance issue in the months ahead. Democrats are fighting to resolve the problem now, as people are receiving notices of higher policy rates for the new year.<\/p>\n Senate Majority Leader John Thune<\/a>, the Republican from South Dakota, has said there may be a path forward \u2014 once the government reopens.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were always planning to have those discussions,\u201d said Johnson, R-La. <\/p>\n Doubts are high and trust is low<\/p>\n But Democrats argue that Republicans failed to address the expiring health care subsidies this summer when they approved Trump\u2019s signature bill into law, commonly referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.<\/a><\/p>\n Democrats doubt that with Johnson keeping the House out of legislative session, and sending lawmakers home to work in their districts, the Republicans will quickly come back to work on resolving the health care problem.<\/p>\n