AFGE tells Democrats to pass a clean resolution to reopen the government.

The largest federal worker union provides 100% of their donations to Democrats.

This has to put additional pressure on the Democrats to at least start to consider passing a continuing resolution. Either way, I don't know that this is going to accomplish much other than punt the issue down the road. Once the continuing resolution passes, the chances of Republicans caving in on the idea of further subsidizing everything Democrats want subsidized is slim to none. There may be something in there for some reduced subsidies for certain things, but what they are asking for at this point is ridiculous. I suspect that once a continuing resolution runs out that we might be right back in the same boat.

The issue here is really bigger than what the Democrats are suggesting. If people actually start to see the true cost of the insurance they are buying on the exchanges (rather than their cost after subsidies) they will understand exactly how untrue it is that the exchange is actually bringing in lower costs. The concept that Obamacare reduced premiums has always been a lie, hidden behind billions and billions in subsidies (government handouts) to offset the crazy high costs associated with exchange insurance. They were purposely made inefficient after the Government replaced the actuaries who controlled coverage decisions with politicians who decided what every plan needed to cover. Anytime you replace private business practices with Government control, the prices will skyrocket, as they have with Obamacare premiums. Of course, this doesn't matter if the Government also comes to the rescue by paying a large portion of those premiums. But it does matter if the Government does not come to the rescue of their own failure.

The problem is that unlike the exchanges (which are there until we dismantle them) the concept of subsidies has always been a temporary deal. They continue to have to be renegotiated and passed over and over to keep the "cost" down. Right now, Democrats want to "extend" (among other things) the extra-subsidies from the Covid era. The fact that we are no longer in a Covid related economic crisis is completely irrelevant to them. In their world, everything they bring on as a "temporary" government handout is just the first step in making them permanent. Once people get "used" to a government handout of some sort it is very difficult to get rid of it and that is exactly what Democrats are banking on here. We got used to the Covid subsidies and boy oh boy won't it be cruel if those people who got used to them as a temporary measure actually see a temporary measure end.

There is a reason, above and beyond appeasing their far left base, that the Democrats are sticking hard to their guns. If they lose this battle, and the subsidies run out, then Obamacare will be exposed for what it is. They can point fingers all they want, but at the end of the day, they own Obamacare as much as any Party owns any particular government program. They will own it if ACA starts to fall apart.