Senate Democratic leaders torpedo a deal to end the government shutdown

With the country plunging into the chaos caused by the longest shutdown in history, hard-line senators in the Democratic Party would rather continue to make political capital out of the situation than end it. Although a growing group of moderate congressmen from the blue formation are moving to reach an agreement with the Republicans, the party's leaders in the Upper House were reluctant to back down in their standoff against President Trump and give the green light to the latest conservative proposal.

Even 'Axios' points to "emboldened Democrats" for prolonging the shutdown

A situation that has already made left-leaning newspapers, such as Axios, point directly to "emboldened Democrats" as the direct culprits for prolonging the distressing situation of many families in the country.

With the blunt headline Democrats, emboldened, push to prolong the government shutdown, the newspaper notes that the Blue Party leaders are firm in their rejection of the agreement, considering that they can retain enough votes for it, and, above all, growing after the election results of the 4-N and the conviction that citizens see Trump and the Republicans as the ones to blame for the situation.

Meanwhile, conservatives are working against the clock to finish drafting a three-part proposal as a last offer to the Democrats, with the aim that the Shutdown will become history on Friday itself. This initiative contemplates, among other things:

The key proposals of Thune's latest offer

1. The approval of a interim funding resolution at least until December 19 (although the final date would be negotiable).

2. Greenlighting full funding for the military budget, Veterans Affairs, the Department of Agriculture and the legislative branch for the next fiscal year, leaving programs like WIC and SNAP out of the shutdown.

3. Republicans pledge to vote some kind of bill to extend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that are about to expire, although everything about this point is still a real mystery.

Dems' demands

However, Blue Party leaders, who feel they have the upper hand, and with pressure from progressive and caucus lobbies, want Thune and Mike Johnson to commit to approving an extension of the ACA subsidies and to give them the OK from Donald Trump himself.

A demand that seems, to say the least, difficult, because Johnson himself recently stated that he is not committed to the ACA issue ever even being debated in the House of Representatives.

Bipartisan group negotiations move forward

Meanwhile, and with little fuss, a bipartisan group of senators continues to make progress in negotiations that would end the shutdown. Several Democratic senators are encouraging their more centrist colleagues to reach a minimum agreement to avoid greater suffering for citizens, especially those most directly affected.