House Republican leadership is eyeing a vote next week to extend government funding until November 21st—the Friday before the Thanksgiving recess. This comes as congressional Democrats have coalesced around the extension of soon-to-expire Affordable Care Act premium subsidies as the price for their votes to extend government funding before the September 30th shutdown deadline. While there are some Republicans who support extending the subsidies, top Republican leaders in both chambers are opposed to including any such extension on the immediate stopgap funding bill taken up this month to avoid a shutdown. Republicans are also dealing with hardening opposition among fiscal conservatives to extending the enhanced subsidies, with House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-MD) saying that his group opposes “these free giveaways to insurance companies.”
