Senate Majority Leader John Thune holds a copy of a continuing resolution bill as he speaks alongside Speaker of the House Mike Johnson during a news conference in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, Oct. 3, 2025. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
When pressed again on a vote, he said, "No, because we did our job, and I'm not part of the negotiation."
"The House did its job on Sept. 19. I'm not promising anybody anything. I'm going to let this process play out," Johnson said.
The issue of enhanced Obamacare subsidies has been a matter of debate within the GOP, with some Republicans in more moderate districts calling for at least a year-long extension to give lawmakers time to create a new healthcare deal in its place.
But House conservatives are rejecting any such extension out of hand. Fox News Digital first reported that leaders of the 189-member Republican Study Committee issued an official position earlier Thursday demanding the credits not be extended.
It's been a key ask for Democrats, however, that such an extension be paired with any federal funding bill before they agree to help end the shutdown.
The government is in a shutdown after Congress failed to reach an agreement on federal funding. (Getty Images)
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The majority of the caucus demands a guarantee on a deal rather than the promise of a process, given that a proposal to extend the expiring subsidies from Democrats without major reforms to the program would likely fail in the Republican-controlled chamber.
But Thune has remained adamant that he can’t promise anything more than a vote and can’t predict an outcome.
"I made this very clear to them, I can't guarantee them an outcome," Thune said. "I can guarantee them a process, and they can litigate the issue, get the vote on the floor, and presumably they have some way of getting a vote in the House at some point, but I can't speak for the House."
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mike-johnson-undercuts-john-thune-obamacare-negotiations-end-shutdown