Republicans make abrupt about-face on bill to keep paying troops through shutdown

Senate Republicans had been plotting to trap Democrats with a bill to restore pay for military service members during the shutdown — but now they appear to be abruptly reversing on the idea, Punchbowl News reported on Tuesday.

"Senate Republican leaders are souring on the idea of forcing votes this week on so-called 'rifle shot' bills to pay members of the military and air traffic controllers, believing it would make it easier for Senate Democrats to continue voting against reopening the entire government," said the report.

The shift was highlighted on Monday, as Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) "expressed deep skepticism about moving forward with bills to pay those federal employees" in a closed-door meeting with colleagues.

Initially, Republicans believed forcing Democrats to take such a vote against vital workers would embarrass them. Now, however, they fear Democrats would vote in favor of the bills, taking pressure off themselves to cave from their shutdown stance.

Additionally, the report continued, moving forward with such a vote "could put Thune at odds with House GOP leadership and the White House. President Donald Trump’s top aides have argued privately that these votes would only help Democrats bail themselves out of a crisis they created. The latter point was mentioned during the meeting, we’re told."

All of this comes as the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), a massive public sector union that has fought the Trump administration on a number of fronts, has suggested it is time to negotiate an end to the shutdown.

Democrats have held firm for weeks over the issue of expiring health care subsidies for millions of people that they demand a commitment to extend, as well as concerns that any resolution to fund the government must contain language to block the Trump administration from unilaterally impounding money or firing workers.