Despite proposals to mitigate painful effects from the shutdown on SNAP or air traffic controllers, top Republicans in the House, Senate, and White House are sticking with the same strategy: pressuring Democrats to support a clean stopgap bill to reopen the government.
“Between the White House, the Senate, and the House there, we’re all on the same page,” said Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D.
It hasn’t worked for 29 days, but leaders don’t want to shift their approach now.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune is throwing cold water on passing targeted bills, the House is out of session, and Vice President JD Vance told Senate Republicans to stick together and hold the line.
Still, Vance said the administration has found a way to pay the military on Friday, and Thune said a bipartisan compromise on paying government workers is “very possible.”