GOP wrestles with Obamacare fix as Trump looms over subsidy fight

By Fox News · Fox News

Congressional Republicans are sorting out what their plan to tackle expiring Obamacare subsidies will be, but they acknowledge that, ultimately, President Donald Trump will be the deciding factor. Senate Democrats turned the latest record-breaking shutdown into a push to extend the subsidies, which were enhanced during the pandemic under former President Joe Biden and are set to sunset by the end of this year. Many Republicans recognize that the subsidies must be dealt with as healthcare premiums begin to skyrocket, but most don’t want to extend them in their current form. RICK SCOTT CALLS DEMOCRATS 'HEARTLESS' AS HE PITCHES NEW OBAMACARE FIX And both chambers are eyeing different approaches, which could further complicate the path forward to reaching a deal by the end of the year. In the upper chamber , Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has guaranteed Senate Democrats a vote on a proposal of their choice. However, whatever kind of legislation they put on the floor has to be bipartisan, given the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster threshold, in order to pass. Whether a plan can be bipartisan is still in the early stages, and a roadblock could be the GOP’s desire to include the Hyde amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funds from covering the costs of abortions. Thune said the major question was will the Democrats accept applying Hyde to any changes or reforms that might be made?" "I mean, I think there's an openness, because, you know, we've got members, and a lot of members, who are very interested in addressing the affordability of healthcare," he said. "The question is, what's the best way to do it?" Senate Republicans have floated proposals since before the shutdown ended, but there is some consensus growing behind taking subsidy money and putting it directly into healthcare savings accounts (HSAs) for Americans — something Trump has backed and was first floated by Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla. Scott and Republicans scoffed at Senate Democrats’ proposal to…