“I think that one of the reasons of many that the Democrats had so much success is an appreciation the Democrats are trying to protect health care for the American people,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Wednesday.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said Democrats were rewarded for taking a stand on health care.
“It would be very odd,” Murphy said, “for us to immediately stop fighting.”
A group of centrist Senate Democrats on Tuesday were sounding out Democratic colleagues on a potential deal to reopen the federal government this week or next week, but they were getting strong pushback that could scuttle a potential agreement.
Part of the plan centers on voting for a continuing resolution in exchange for a promise of a vote on extending the subsidies.
After Tuesday’s overwhelming Democratic victories, liberals say that would be snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. It should be Republicans who come to the negotiating table, not Democrats offering them a lifeline.
A guaranteed vote, with no actual agreement that can be signed into law, would be tough for many Democrats to swallow.
“Now I know that there is some discussion about bipartisan negotiations. And I want to be very clear, if these negotiations say that we're going to pass legislation that will extend the tax credits for the Affordable Care Act, count me in, that's great, but there has to be a commitment ... and if it's just a piece of legislation that passes the Senate with either 50 votes or 60 votes, so what? Where does it go? Then it becomes just a meaningless gesture,” Sanders said.