GOP Sen. Kevin Cramer on Government Shutdown: Healthcare Deal Possible After Reopening

Government Shutdown Stalemate

• 🏛️ Senator Kevin Cramer expresses surprise that the government shutdown has lasted a full week, expecting it to be shorter.
• ⏳ He believes the shutdown will likely end by next Wednesday, the deadline for paying the military, as Democrats won't allow service members to go unpaid.
• 🎯 Cramer suggests Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is more concerned with appeasing progressive Democrats like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez than the consequences of the shutdown.

Obamacare Subsidies and Negotiations

• 🤝 Cramer acknowledges that extending Obamacare subsidies is a potential pressure valve but states they cannot be extended in the current Continuing Resolution (CR).
• ⚖️ He argues that the bonus premium assistance, part of the Biden-era law that Democrats voted for, was designed to expire at the end of the year.
• ✅ Republicans are willing to negotiate in good faith on a solution for these subsidies after the government reopens, aiming for a proposal that is acceptable to both parties.

Back Pay for Federal Workers

• 💰 Regarding a 2019 law ensuring back pay for furloughed workers, Cramer notes it's unclear but historically, such payments have always been ensured during government reopenings.
• 😟 He would be uncomfortable with the outcome if federal workers were not paid for work performed during a shutdown.

Path to Reopening and Bipartisan Cooperation

• 🗣️ Cramer criticizes President Biden's rhetoric, calling Democrats on a "kamikaze mission," suggesting it could harden their stance.
• 💡 He reiterates the need for a clean Continuing Resolution (CR), which Democrats have supported numerous times, as the