Dem senator: Shutdown threat ‘only card’ in negotiations with GOP

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) on Monday said shutting down the government is “the only card” Democrats have in their negotiations with Republicans over ObamaCare.

“That’s our ultimate card, is to threaten to shut down the government when we get to the end of the funding, that’s coming up fairly soon, the end of the continuing resolution. But that’s really the only card we’ve got,” Coons told WHYY, as first reported by CNN’s KFile.

{mosads}Republicans began the first steps toward repealing the healthcare legislation in January through a budget process known as reconciliation. The GOP is currently working on plans for a replacement.

Trump, who campaigned on promises to repeal ObamaCare, said in January that he wants a replacement to come “very quickly.”

Coons said Democrats don’t want to shut down the government, which poses a challenge in the negotiations.

“Sen. [Charles] Schumer [(D-N.Y.)], who’s our minority leader, who’s the leader of the Democratic caucus, is regularly negotiating with Majority Leader [Mitch] McConnell [(R-Ky.)] over what we are willing to do or not do to shut down the government or shut down the Senate,” he said. “We’ve had as you saw, a number of fairly bitter fights over confirmation.”

Republicans in 2013 partially shut down the government after attempts to defund ObamaCare.