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.
“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.
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. 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.
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.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
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.”
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 during his Thursday morning news conference.
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.
Thune came under pressure from the White House’s efforts to rescind funding appropriated by Congress. Democrats have said the use of rescissions has made them wary of working on funding deals. Thune did not explicitly say he wanted the White House to stop making terminations, but said regular assignments were the preferred method.
“The power of termination is something that constitutionally the president has; the question of whether he uses it or not… yeah, I mean, that’s obviously something that I think they would need to talk to the White House about,” Thune said.
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
He said he has had “conversations” about the issue with the White House and that “I think it’s best for everyone, including the White House, to have a normal appropriations process where people are bought out.”
While Thune attended this interview, the House was in its third consecutive week of recess. Thune was asked if it was the right decision for the House to remain out of town. He said it was a “judgmental decision” for President Johnson to make.
“There’s nothing right now. They did their job. They passed their bill. The game is in the Senate,” Thune said.
He also couldn’t guarantee that the shutdown 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.
