Senate Democrats push Obamacare subsidy vote 'designed to fail' as Republicans call plan unserious

The Senate is readying for a vote on extending expiring Obamacare premium subsidies but the proposal on the table is all but certain to fail Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer D-N Y unveiled Senate Democrats long-awaited plan to prevent the subsidies from lapsing which Senate Republicans nearly universally panned A vote on the plan is expected on Thursday I mean it's obviously designed to fail Senate Majority Leader John Thune R-S D communicated Fox News Digital ABORTION RESTRICTIONS CREATE MAJOR ROADBLOCK FOR BIPARTISAN OBAMACARE SUBSIDY DEAL IN SENATESchumer s proposal would extend the subsidies for another three years without any of the reforms demanded by the GOP And bipartisan talks that have been ongoing since the leadership shutdown ended have virtually ground to a halt Thune announced when the proposal fails if they want to have a serious conversation about a real approach that can get underway But you know we haven't decided yet exactly what we're going to do But what that signals though and evidences is they're just not serious he noted Senate Republicans have not landed on their own proposal and may not before the upper chamber leaves Washington D C next week until the start of the New Year SCHUMER UNVEILS DEMOCRATS' OBAMACARE FIX PLAN LIKELY DEAD IN THE WATERThere are several plans circulating among Republicans to choose from but none have gained enough traction or endorsement to hit the floor in a accomplishable side-by-side vote The subsidies which were initially passed under former President Joe Biden during the COVID- pandemic and then enhanced to virtually remove any income caps one of the numerous sticking points for Republicans are set to expire by the end of the year While the Senate struggles to find a way forward lawmakers are quick to point the finger at who would own the subsidies' expiration Senate Republicans contend that it s Schumer and Senate Democrats who are to blame given that they set the subsidies to sunset by the end of this year when they controlled the Senate And Senate Democrats argue that Republicans would own the issue since they have yet to produce their own proposal BIPARTISAN DEAL ON OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES FADES AS REPUBLICANS PUSH HSA PLANSchumer argued that Republicans have chosen to do nothing absolutely nothing as the deadline creeps closer And he believes that Senate Democrats plan could succeed despite a likely insurmountable math concern It is not a nonstarter votes could solve the trouble Schumer explained That's where the onus should be But the plan is a nonstarter for Republicans for several reasons including the lack of reforms the length and that it has no inclusion of Hyde Amendment language that would prevent taxpayer dollars from funding abortions a tricky issue that has largely derailed bipartisan negotiations Meanwhile Republicans are eyeing a proposal that would send the subsidy money directly to Americans in the form of Strength Savings Accounts HSAs a plan first pushed by Sen Rick Scott R-Fla and then co-opted by President Donald Trump Sen Bill Cassidy R-La has been working on an HSA plan that he presented among other ideas last week to Senate Republicans during their closed-door lunch Still lawmakers exited the meeting and left Washington by the end of the week without a counteroffer to Senate Democrats dead-on-arrival proposal The president gave the marching orders We're working on it We want to deliver it Cassidy recounted Fox News Shannon Bream