‘I trust no Republican’s word’: Democrats dismiss Thune’s shutdown offer

Democratic lawmakers have expressed skepticism about Senate Majority Leader John Thune's offer to guarantee a vote on extending Obamacare subsidies in exchange for reopening the government. The proposal, which was made public on Wednesday night, has been met with resistance from Democrats who say they don't trust Republicans to follow through.

"This is too cute by half," said Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan. "You can't tout an offer on TV and say you've done your offer."

Others have echoed her sentiments, including Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who stated that he trusts no Republican's word as long as former President Donald Trump is saying he refuses to extend healthcare tax subsidies.

"I trust no Republican's word as long as Donald Trump is saying he refuses to extend health care tax subsidies," Blumenthal said.

Even Senate Democrats who are more open to negotiations have expressed doubts about the proposal. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois suggested that Thune's offer was progress, but not enough to move forward on its own.

"A bipartisan statement would be helpful," Durbin said. "But there are several elements that have to be included."

Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also dismissed the offer, saying that Thune never even extended it to him and that Democrats want a more comprehensive deal that addresses the Medicaid cuts included in the GOP's reconciliation bill.

The House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said that Democrats still want a reversal of the Medicaid cuts, but acknowledged that getting Republicans to agree on this issue would be a major hurdle.

"We need an ironclad path to address the Republican health care crisis," Jeffries said. "In terms of the ACA, this is a group of people who have tried to repeal it 70 different times."

The proposal's lack of traction highlights the deep divide between Democrats and Republicans over healthcare policy, which has hindered efforts to pass a government funding bill.

Senate Republicans view Thune's offer as a positive development, but there are still many questions about how far this deal can go. The House Speaker Mike Johnson was noncommittal about guaranteeing a vote in his chamber, saying that if Democrats reopen the government, they would look at it.

[Image of a person shrugging with a puzzled expression]

[Video of a politician's words being sarcastically emphasized by a cartoon voiceover] "This is too cute by half?"

[A split-screen image of Donald Trump and Chuck Schumer, both making the same face]

[Image of a calendar with a big X marked through it, surrounded by health insurance logos]

[GIF of two politicians shaking hands, then ripping each other's hands apart]

so what's good fam? gotta say, Thune's offer sounds like a total cop out to me. like, he thinks a vote on healthcare subsidies is gonna magically fix everything and we're all just gonna move on from this whole gov shutdown thing? no thanks. and btw, who does this guy think he is trying to sweet-talk his way into getting a deal done? Sen Slotkin is low-key my spirit animal right now. "this is too cute by half" LOL indeed!

I'm kinda confused by the whole thing... I get why Republicans want to reopen the government but it feels like a lot of gamesmanship going on. If Thune is really serious about this deal, can't he just be upfront and say what he's offering? Instead of making a proposal that's got all these strings attached. And I don't blame Democrats for being skeptical - we've been down the road before with Republicans and it never ends well . Can't they just agree to disagree on healthcare policy and work together on something else?

can't believe Republicans still playing politics with people's healthcare its like they're trying to make us wait forever for a stable future Thune's offer is cute and all but when will we see some real action?

I don't buy it. Thune's offer sounds like a way to get a quick win for Republicans and then just drop it. Where's the actual plan to pass a bipartisan deal? We're supposed to trust them now after all those failed attempts to repeal Obamacare? And what about the Medicaid cuts? Just saying we want a comprehensive deal without showing us the details is a pretty big ask. Can we get some actual sources on this proposal before we start trusting Thune's word? I need to see some concrete numbers and timelines before I believe anything. This whole thing reeks of politics as usual

I think this whole thing is super complicated ... I mean, Thune's trying to make a deal, but both sides are like "nope, not good enough" . And can we talk about how weird it is that Trump's name keeps popping up? Like, who cares what he says on this issue? It's already been decided . The fact that Democrats aren't trusting Republicans to follow through is pretty understandable though - they've tried to repeal ACA 70 times, so... yeah, it's a tough sell . I think Schumer's right in saying there needs to be more of a comprehensive deal, not just some token offer . It's gonna take a lot more than that to get this stuff done

I cant believe what Im seeing rn . Thes Republicans think they can just offer something and expect us to fall for it ? Like, come on guys... you've been trying to repeal Obamacare 70 times already! How can we trust that you'll actually follow through this time? It's all about playing politics, not solving problems . And Thune thinks his little proposal is cute? Its like he thinks we're gullible or something. I swear, back in my day...

I'm just not buying it. They're offering to do the bare minimum to keep things open and then expect us to trust them? Come on... back in my day we didn't have all these proposals and counter-proposals, we just got stuff done. This is just a bunch of gamesmanship. And what's with all this drama over Obamacare subsidies? Can't they just agree on something for once? It's like they're trying to prove who can be the most stubborn. I mean, 70 times they've tried to repeal it... that's just ridiculous. The lack of trust is palpable here. And what really gets my goat is that some of these lawmakers are more interested in grandstanding than actually getting stuff done. It's like they're more worried about being seen as "the hero" than actually doing the right thing for the people.

I think its kinda weird when politicians make promises on TV and then expect everyone to trust them lol . I mean, Sen Blumenthal's like "no way dude" because of Trump's involvement, and I get why he'd be skeptical . The problem is, if they can't even agree on a deal for extending Obamacare subsidies, how are we gonna fix the Medicaid cuts in the reconciliation bill ? It seems like they're stuck in this loop where no one wants to give an inch . I just hope they figure it out before the whole gov funding thing falls apart

I don't think Sen Thune's proposal is super good atm He's trying to get a vote on extending Obamacare subsidies, but Democrats are all like "nope" because they don't trust Republicans to follow through I mean, Sen Blumenthal is totally right - if Trump is saying no, then you can't just expect Republicans to change their minds At least Durbin thinks it's a step in the right direction, but we need more details and a bigger plan

the thing is, i think both parties are being pretty unrealistic with their expectations... senate republicans want to hold democrats hostage over healthcare and democrats want total concessions on medicaid cuts... meanwhile, they're both acting like they haven't been in this loop of partisan gridlock for years the proposal from thune just seems like a token gesture to make it seem like they're being reasonable when really it's just the same old partisan posturing... the real question is when will we see some actual compromise on these issues?

omg, like, come on guys ... Sen Elissa Slotkin is totally right tho! You can't just tout an offer and expect everyone to be all good about it . I mean, it's like, if you really want a deal done, then actually do the work, ya know? And as for Sen Blumenthal, yeah, Trump's influence is definitely a major factor here . It's hard to trust anyone when they're still spewing that drama .

And can we talk about how Senate Democrats are all just being super polite and stuff ? Like, Sen Durbin saying it's progress but not enough? That's just code for "we'll consider it" . And Chuck Schumer is straight up calling BS on Thune's offer .

House Minority Leader Jeffries is the real MVP here , at least he's acknowledging that this is a huge hurdle to overcome . But let's be real, getting Republicans to agree on anything is like, impossible . The GOP's reconciliation bill is all about taking away healthcare from people who need it most .

I mean, Senate Republicans are basically just drinking the Kool-Aid right now . They're all like "oh, Thune's offer is so positive!" without even doing the math . It's gonna take a lot more than that to get a deal done .

I'm just not feeling this proposal... like, yeah sure, it's cute and all, but it's not going to get us anywhere . Senate Democrats need more than just a promise from Republicans to trust them on this one. And what's up with the lack of a comprehensive deal? Those Medicaid cuts are still a major issue, and I don't think anyone should have to compromise their values for a vote . It's all about finding common ground, but it looks like everyone's too far apart right now . The House Minority Leader is spot on when he says they need an ironclad path forward... how about the Republicans actually propose something that doesn't involve undermining healthcare?

I don't think we should be too quick to dismiss Thune's offer, ya know? I mean, he's willing to put his money where his mouth is and offer a guarantee of a vote on extending Obamacare subsidies... that takes guts, right? Sure, some Democrats are skeptical, but can't they just give the guy a chance? Thune didn't just make this offer out of the blue, it's been in the works for a while. And let's be real, if he wasn't serious about it, he wouldn't have made it public. I'm also kinda with Schumer on needing more info... a bipartisan statement would definitely help smooth things over. But instead of just trash-talking Republicans, can't we try to find common ground? The whole thing feels like a big mess, but if everyone's being honest, Thune's offer is at least worth considering

I think Thune's offer is a pretty standard Republican tactic - throw out some good vibes and see what sticks. Problem is, Democrats aren't buying it yet because they've seen too many broken promises from Republicans in the past . Schumer's got a point about needing a more comprehensive deal that addresses Medicaid cuts, which is definitely something that'll need to be ironed out if this proposal gets any traction .

So I'm reading through this thread and I gotta say, I'm not surprised by the reaction from Dems to Thune's proposal . I mean, can we really trust Republicans on this stuff? The ACA is literally their biggest policy disaster... 70 times they've tried to repeal it! And now they want a vote on extending subsidies without any real commitment? It just doesn't add up.

And what's with the lack of transparency from Thune? He barely even extended an offer to Schumer . That kinda speaks volumes about where their heads are at.

I'm not saying Democrats can't negotiate, but this proposal feels like a PR stunt at best. We need real, concrete steps towards fixing our healthcare crisis, not just empty gestures and photo ops .

Gotta keep pushing for more substance from the GOP on this one

lol what's good fam? so like i'm reading this article and i'm thinking why is john thune trying to make a deal with dems just to get a vote out of them? like doesn't he think they're gonna follow through on their end? and then you got these dems saying they dont trust republicans which is lowkey fair cuz republicans have been all over the place when it comes to healthcare. i mean 70 times trying to repeal ACA? come on! and another thing, why cant we just get a bipartisan deal already? like Thune's offer sounds good but its still super limited. i feel like they need to include more provisions or something. anywayz, it's clear that dems arent gonna make it easy for republicans so who knows what happens next

so like what's going on here is Republicans are trying to sweet-talk Democrats into voting for their plan to extend Obamacare subsidies... but meanwhile, they're still being super shady about actually following through. Like Sen Blumenthal is not having it - he literally can't trust any Republican's word as long as Trump is saying no. And I'm like same girl, Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries are also keeping it real, they want a more comprehensive deal that doesn't just cover the subsidies. It's all about addressing those Medicaid cuts... which are still a major point of contention.