Obamacare Subsidies
Americans who use Obamacare exchanges to buy their health insurance already know that their premiums are shooting up in January. Today, senators will spend a lot of time demonstrating that they notice that pain—but can’t agree on how to lessen it.
They’ll vote on two options for addressing the sticker shock, neither of which appears to have the backing to go any further.
At issue are the temporary extra subsidies approved during the pandemic. Senate Democrats propose extending them for three years. Republicans suggest creating federally funded health savings accounts for certain Affordable Care Act plans. The two approaches will get separate votes today, Erin Durkin and Lillianna Byington report.
Listen for senators to describe those from the other party as not being serious about helping their constituents afford medical coverage, and watch to see how close either side gets to the 60 votes needed for passage. It’s all about politics, said Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.). “There’s no serious solution,” he said. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said if Republicans don’t join them on the proposed extension, “we are going to march into the midterms against your resistance and win and get this done.” Read More
See Also:
- House to Vote on GOP-Backed Health Care Bills as Deadline Looms
- Moderates Introduce One-Year Extension for Obamacare Tax Credits
- Trump Says Second Reconciliation Unnecessary, Defends Speaker
FEMA’s Future
A panel put together to rethink how the feds handle disaster aid releases its conclusions today, part of the Trump administration’s goal of putting states in charge of their own disaster response and reducing what the Federal Emergency Management Agency spends after big floods, fires, and storms.
The FEMA review was headed by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
As Kellie Lunney previously reported, the effort comes as Congress works on its own vision for improving the feds’ disaster response bureaucracy, including bipartisan legislation (
The $900.6 billion National Defense Authorization Act is one of Congress’ top year-end targets.
Join BGOV reporters and analysts TODAY at 1 p.m. for a deep dive webinar into the bill, what its policy choices mean going forward, and how it fits into the larger spending debates in Washington. Register Here
Another Redistricting Crossroads
In a test of Trump’s influence, the Republican-led state Senate in Indiana will either muscle through an aggressive gerrymander today or reject the proposal despite threats of retribution.
Greg Giroux reports that the redistricting legislation would give the GOP dominance in all nine of the state’s House districts, targeting Reps. Frank Mrvan and Andre Carson, the only two congressional Democrats in a state Trump won in 2024 by 59% to 40%.
A few Republican senators who voted to advance the map in committee said the measure needed more consideration and they could vote differently on the floor, so despite the party loyalties today brings a little suspense. Read More
The action in Indiana comes as officials in another Midwestern state, Missouri, vet the signatures on petitions seeking a repeal of that recent gerrymander. Those revised district lines are designed to make reelection more difficult for Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.).
See Also: New Hampshire Republican Lawmaker Seeks to Revive Redistricting
‘Shared Sacrifice’
A measure to withhold senators’ salaries in future government shutdowns is set for a committee vote today.
Lillianna Byington reports that sponsoring Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said the goal of the resolution (
The no-pay provisions would take effect after the Nov. 2026 elections. That would keep it in compliance with the Constitution’s 27th Amendment, requiring an intervening election before a lawmaker paycheck change can kick in.
There’s a potential for another shutdown at the end of January, and of course we’ve just been through the longest federal funding stoppage in history, during which legislators continued to be paid, while staffers and federal workers did without.
Eye on the Economy
It’s Day 2 of bilateral trade talks in New Delhi being led by Deputy US Trade Representative Rick Switzer, India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, and its Commerce Secretary, Rajesh Agrawal.
One of the goals is to chart an agreement addressing the retaliatory duties Trump imposed on products from India. The 50% rate includes charges applied in retaliation for India’s purchases of Russian oil. Read More
Trusting Data
A study led by the American Statistical Association warns Congress that distrust in government data could be the long-term cost to cutting head count at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis and Census Bureau.
The study cites a survey which found the share of the public expressing trust in federal data had declined to 52% in September, from 57% in June,
Molly Smith reports. Read More
See Also:
- Key Takeaways From Fed Decision to Cut Rate by Quarter-Point
- ‘Silent Dissents’ Reveal Growing Fed Resistance to Powell’s Cuts
- Inflation or Unemployment? Why the Fed Is So Divided: QuickTake
Before You Go
Venezuela Escalation: Trump confirmed that US forces seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, after concluding that it was headed to Cuba. The US action may make other shippers more reluctant to load its cargoes. Read More
Back into Hiding: Venezuelan dissident María Corina Machado told a news conference in Oslo, Norway, that she plans to ultimately go back home after winning the Nobel Peace Prize so she can disappear from authorities and continue fighting for democracy, Ott Ummelas reports. Read More
Media Management: Trump signaled he’ll oppose a Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. deal that doesn’t include new ownership of CNN, a potential wrinkle for the bid from Netflix Inc. Read More
Deportation Fleet: The US government will buy six Boeing 737 jets to carry out deportation flights, according to a report first published by the Washington Post and confirmed by the Department of Homeland Security. The $140 million contract “will save $279 million in taxpayer dollars by allowing ICE to operate more effectively, including by using more efficient flight patterns,” said DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin. Read More
Payment Please: Almost 400 people pardoned by Trump or granted clemency in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol are now seeking millions of dollars from the federal government. Attorney Mark McCloskey wheeled a cart full of claims into the Main Justice building to make the demands official, Zoe Tillman reports. “I’m hoping this mass filing today will bring it to the attention of the powers that be,” McCloskey said. Read More
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