Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Senate remain deadlocked over a prolonged government shutdown that has now stretched into its second week. The main sticking point is healthcare subsidies dating back to the Obama administration. Senators Lindsey Graham and Mark Kelly made starkly opposing statements, underscoring the depth of the divide, while Vice President J.D. Vance warned of further sweeping cuts to the federal workforce if the standoff continues.
Republican and Democratic senators Lindsey Graham and Mark Kelly have taken hardline positions in the dispute over the nearly two-week-long government shutdown. Graham said the closure would not pressure him into supporting Democrats’ demands to restore the Obama-era healthcare subsidies.
In an interview with NBC News’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Graham said he supported a Senate vote to reopen the government and was prepared for a “rational discussion” with Democrats—but not while the government remains shut down.
“I’m willing to vote to open the government up tomorrow,” he said. “But to my Democratic friends, I’m not going to vote to extend these subsidies.”
Graham added, addressing his opponents: “It’s up to you. If you want to keep it shut down, fine. It’s not going to change how I approach healthcare reform.”
His comments came as Vice President J.D. Vance warned that permanent cuts to the federal workforce would only deepen as the crisis drags on.
Speaking on Fox News with host Maria Bartiromo, Vance said, “The longer this goes on, Maria, the more significant the consequences. If you remember, we went nine days without any major layoffs. The longer it continues, the more substantial the cuts will be.”
According to government data, more than 4,000 federal employees have already received layoff notices. Over the past two weeks, the Senate has voted several times on a temporary funding measure, but the proposal failed to reach the required 60 votes due to insufficient support from Democrats.
Washington Doesn’t Work
The Tenth Day of the Government Shutdown Exposed Deep Divisions in Congress
Lawmakers Accuse Each Other of Sabotaging Negotiations and Chasing Clips for YouTube
Trump Uses the Shutdown as a Tool to Consolidate Personal Power
It Is Part of a Systematic Campaign to Concentrate Authority
Graham’s remarks signal a hardening stance in negotiations over healthcare subsidies—regardless of whether the government reopens.
“These subsidies we’re talking about,” he told NBC, “if the Affordable Care Act is really that affordable, why do we have to spend $350 billion every time just to keep it afloat?”
On the same program, Arizona Democratic senator Mark Kelly accused Republicans of refusing to engage in genuine negotiations.
“We need real talks and real solutions,” he told host Kristen Welker. “For many people, this is about their healthcare. It’s heading toward a cliff, and if we don’t fix it, it’s just going to fall off.”
Amid mounting pressure to reach a compromise, both sides are weighing the political costs of the stalemate. On Monday, House Speaker Mike Johnson said Republicans “probably have a hundred different ideas about how to fix this, but it can’t be done overnight.”
He said Democrats’ demands to resolve the subsidy issue immediately, without extended debate, were “unrealistic and inappropriate.”
“This isn’t something that can be done, and they know it,” Johnson said. “They chose this issue because it plays well publicly and makes it look like they’re standing up to Trump. It’s all a big performance, and it really frustrates me.”