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Expired Obamacare subsidy deal inches toward Senate floor vote amid bipartisan talks
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A bipartisan group of senators is still working on a fix for the now-expired Obamacare subsidies and believe that they may be nearing a proposal that could hit the Senate floor.
The confab, which met a handful of times during Congress’ holiday break, adjourned once more behind closed doors on Monday night. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, are leading the talks among several Senate Republicans and Democrats looking for a compromise solution.
Most who attended the meeting were tight-lipped on specifics of the still-simmering proposal, but Collins noted the plan was similar to the initial offering from her and Moreno.
CONGRESS FAILS TO SAVE OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES AFTER SHUTDOWN FIGHT, PREMIUMS SET TO SURGE
Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, announced their plan to extend expiring Obamacare subsidies by two years, include income caps and end zero-cost premiums. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
«Parts of the bill are similar to what Senator Moreno and I proposed originally, with a two-year extension, with some reforms in the first year and then more substantial reforms in the second year,» she said.
Their original plan — one of several floating around in the upper chamber — would have extended the subsidies by two years, put an income cap onto the credits for households making up to $200,000 and eliminated zero-cost premiums as a fraud preventive measure by requiring a $25 minimum monthly payment.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., one of the lawmakers who has routinely attended the meetings, said the talks were going well.
«We had a really good discussion last night,» Kaine said. «I don’t want to characterize it other than we had a really good discussion.»
And Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said that he had gotten an update on negotiations from Moreno Tuesday morning and believed that the bipartisan huddles had been productive.
SEN JIM JUSTICE SAYS REPUBLICANS ARE ‘LOUSY’ AT KNOWING WHAT EVERYDAY AMERICANS THINK ABOUT HEALTHCARE
President Donald Trump points to the crowd as he walks offstage after speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat in Washington, Jan. 6, 2026. (Evan Vucci/AP Images)
Still, any plan that hits the floor has to hit several benchmarks for Republicans, including antifraud guardrails, a transition into health savings accounts (HSAs) and more stringent anti-abortion language.
«The keys are reforms, obviously, and then how do you navigate [the Hyde Amendment],» Thune said. «I think that’s probably the most challenging part of this. But again, I think there’s potentially a path forward, but it’s something that has to get a big vote, certainly a big vote.»
The Hyde Amendment issue is a barrier for both sides of the aisle, given that Senate Republicans demand that changes be made to the subsidies, and more broadly Obamacare, to prevent any taxpayer dollars from funding abortions.
SENATE QUIETLY WORKS ON BIPARTISAN OBAMACARE FIX AS HEALTHCARE CLIFF NEARS
Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, are leading the talks among several Senate Republicans and Democrats looking for a compromise solution. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
That debate received a wrinkle Tuesday when President Donald Trump told House Republicans «you have to be a little flexible» when it comes to the Hyde Amendment.
That triggered mixed reactions from Republicans in the upper chamber.
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said that he had «no idea the context» of Trump’s remarks but affirmed that he was ardently against funding abortions.
«I’m saying I’m not flexible in the value of human life,» Lankford said. «Life is valuable. I don’t believe some children are disposable, and some children are valuable. I think all children are valuable.»
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Senate Democrats largely viewed Trump’s comments as a sign of progress — that maybe Republicans would budge on the Hyde issue. But flexibility goes both ways, and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, wasn’t ready to budge on the matter.
«I am not going to open the door to Hyde, given what happens and what has been seen historically when you do that,» he said. «If you open the door, it will get drafty in a hurry, and I’m not going to let it happen.»
Moreno signaled that Republicans might have to make a compromise on the issue if they wanted to move ahead with any kind of healthcare fix that could pass muster in the Senate.
He noted that there was a sense that «maybe the Obamacare language wasn’t as adherent to that philosophy [of Hyde] as it should be.»
«But that’s not something that we’re looking — able to change right now,» he said. «Because, quite frankly, if you put Hyde up to a vote among Democrats today, as opposed to Democrats 20 years ago, it would probably fail 46 to one on the Democrat side. So unfortunately, most Democrats today feel that there should be federal funding for abortion.»
politics,senate,donald trump,health care healthy living
INTERNACIONAL
Pánico en Líbano: Israel llama a evacuar los suburbios de Beirut porque «terminarán como Gaza»
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The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday released a video it said shows the moment an Israeli F-35I «Adir» stealth fighter jet shot down an Iranian air force Yak-130 over Tehran, marking the first time the advanced aircraft has downed a manned fighter in combat.
«Completed. Target down. The target is down,» the pilot can be heard saying in the footage set to «Star Wars» theme music.
Israel’s military said Wednesday that the shoot down over the Iranian capital was a key milestone for its F-35 fleet.
Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, commander of the Israeli air force, commended the pilots who carried out the mission as part of Operation Roaring Lion.
An Israeli Air Force F-35I «Adir» shoots down an Iranian Yak-130 fighter jet in a historic aerial engagement. (@IDF/X)
«The historic shoot down over the Tehran skies is a testament to the strength of the Israeli Air Force and to your personal determination,» Bar said. «The war continues – return home safely. Get some rest. The next mission is already waiting for you.»
The F-35I is Israel’s customized version of the U.S.-made F-35 Lightning II, a fifth-generation stealth fighter that anchors the country’s air fleet.
Israel became the first country to select the aircraft through the U.S. government’s Foreign Military Sales process in 2010 and received its first jet in June 2016.
TRUMP SAYS US SANK 10 SHIPS IN IRAN STRIKE, ‘LAST, BEST CHANCE’ TO ACT
An Iranian Yak-130 is struck midair by an Israeli F-35I «Adir» during a high-stakes confrontation. (@IDF/X)
The Israeli air force gave the aircraft the Hebrew name «Adir,» meaning «Mighty One.»
The Yak-130, by contrast, is a Russian-made, two-seat combat training aircraft designed by the Yakovlev Design Bureau and manufactured by United Aircraft Corporation.
It first flew in 1996 and remains in active production.
Iran received its first Yak-130 aircraft in September 2023, according to Press TV, Iran’s state-run English-language broadcaster, as part of a broader effort to modernize its air force.
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A Russian-made Yak-130 subsonic two-seat advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft maneuvers during a flying display on the third day of the Farnborough International Airshow in Hampshire, England, on July 11, 2012. (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)
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In November 2023, Brig. Gen. Mahdi Farahi, Iran’s deputy defense minister, told Tasnim, a semi-official Iranian news agency, that plans had been finalized for Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets, Mil Mi-28 attack helicopters and additional Yak-130 trainers to join the country’s armed forces.
Iran previously acquired MiG-29 fighter jets from Russia in the 1990s.
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Tom Emmer calls for Tim Walz, Keith Ellison to ‘serve jail time’ if fraud coverup allegations are true
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EXCLUSIVE: The highest-ranking Minnesotan in Congress is calling for a deeper investigation into allegations that leaders in his state government knowingly ignored evidence of welfare fraud, and he called for those leaders to even face incarceration if proven true.
«People are sick and tired of elected officials having a double standard, being treated differently than they are. They’re held accountable for things that they should be held accountable for, when their elected officials are not,» House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told Fox News Digital.
«If these two guys are dirty, they should be held accountable, and they should serve jail time.»
He was referring to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and state Attorney General Keith Ellison, two of several witnesses at a high-profile hearing on fraud conducted by the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer is criticizing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s administration over the fraud scandal plaguing the state. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images; Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images)
Both Walz and Ellison insisted that they were serious about prosecuting fraud in the state’s social programs and that they took action to stop it once it was brought to their attention.
But Emmer cited a report by the House Oversight Committee that accused them both of knowing about the fraud earlier than previously thought and delaying public accountability for fear of political retribution from progressives in the state — particularly the Somali community in Minneapolis, who Republicans have accused of taking advantage of the state’s welfare system.
«They might have been able to qualify it enough that it wasn’t black and white, but if they lied to the committee this morning about knowing about the fraud and when they knew about the fraud and the FBI investigation, that is a criminal act of its own,» Emmer told Fox News Digital.
SCATHING AUDIT REVEALS MORE FRAUD CONCERNS INSIDE TOP MINNESOTA AGENCY WITH FABRICATED DOCUMENTS, ‘MISCONDUCT’
«So I do believe, depending on this report and what else the majority staff is doing, they very well may want to call them back in and depose them under oath.»
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison speaks during a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on Capitol Hill. (Tom Brenner/AP Photo)
He added at another point, «You have maybe 80 to 100,000 Somalis in Minnesota. Tim Walz won with 52%. They made a difference. Keith Ellison won by less than 1%. I think it was 20,000 votes. Makes a difference. So if those are connected, yeah, I mean, this is campaign fraud.»
«I’ve taken accountability for this. I’m not going to run again. I need to spend the time fixing this,» Walz said during the hearing. «This does undermine trust in government. Do I wish there were things that could have happened earlier? Yes. But in this job, ‘wish’ didn’t do it. I’m looking into where I see it.»
CONVICTED MINNESOTA FRAUDSTER ALLEGES WALZ, ELLISON WERE AWARE OF WIDESPREAD FRAUD
At another point, Walz attributed the rise in fraud statistics to an increase in prosecutions, telling Republicans, «When you catch people and prosecute them, it shows up as a fraud increase.»
He also dismissed accusations that he kept whistle-blowers quiet over fear of being seen as Islamophobic, «I can’t speak to it because it’s not anything I would say.»
Ellison, meanwhile, said he was happy to work across bipartisan lines to prosecute fraud.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz testifies during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2026. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
«I am here to work to improve this system, and there are improvements that can be made,» he said. «If we can get out of fixing the blame and get to fixing the problem, that would be an enormous thing for me.»
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But Emmer, who maintained that further investigation was needed, suggested he doubted their intentions.
«It’s power. They want power. In order for them to get power, they need to be elected. In order for them to get elected, they have to cheat in different ways. And that is exactly what they did,» Emmer said. «If the Somali community is being used by these public officials to get themselves into office…it sure does look suspect, it needs to be investigated.»
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politics,house of representatives politics,minnesota fraud exposed,tim walz
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