LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — It took the longest government shutdown in state history and tons of political pressure, and it ended with a whimper on the Senate floor Thursday.
Bills offered by Democrats and Republicans to address expiring tax credits under the Affordable Care Act both fell well short of the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a filibuster.
As a result, tax credits are set to expire at year's end, leaving people who relied on them facing a choice: to lose health care insurance or to pay higher premiums.
But Nevada's senior Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto said in an interview with Channel 13 on Friday that she still sees a chance to resolve the issue.
WATCH | Sen. Cortez Masto sat down with Steve Sebelius to discuss the issue
"I am, again, hopeful, as I've been talking to some of my Republican colleagues, that we will still focus on some sort of compromise where there is a short-term extension... and that we then get in a room and try to figure out what reforms make sense," she said. "But the whole goal here is to extend those health are subsidies, premium tax credit subsidies, so people can still afford their health care on the [Affordable Care Act]."
But passing a bill through the Senate will not be easy. The chamber is currently divided, 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats. Senate rules require 60 votes to end debate and hold a vote.
The Senate has been consistently unable to reach that threshold. During the recent government shutdown, Senate Democrats mostly withheld their votes on a Republican budget resolution because the GOP refused to entertain the idea of extending the tax credits.
Cortez Masto, however, was one of just two Democrats who voted to keep the government open, drawing criticism from progressives and uncharacteristic praise from members of President Donald Trump's administration.
Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., voted against the Republican resolution until a compromise was reached and the government was reopened.
"I always felt we can still fight for health care, we can still fight for these issues, these long-term issues and solve these problems without shutting down the government," Cortez Masto said. "And with that said, however, it did highlight and bring attention to the health care crisis in this country, right? The fact that there is a fight now going into 2026 that people are going to lose access to the affordable care."
That pressure may have motivated some Republicans to join Democrats on Thursday in voting to extend health care subsidies, which were originally passed during the COVID-19 pandemic and intended to be temporary.
In addition to moderate Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. and Dan Sullivan, R-Ark., joined Democrats in voting for an extension. But even so, the vote amounted to just 51, nine short of a filibuster-proof majority.
Cortez Masto allowed, however, that fixing the tax subsides was just one part of fixing the overall health-care system in the U.S.
"We have a health care crisis in general. Health care in this country is not affordable, whether it comes to the medications or the insurance coverage that you need," she said. "Our focus should be on the outcome for the patient, not on how much money Big Pharma can make, or the [pharmacy benefit managers] or the insurance companies and what kind of rebates they get. The focus should be on the outcomes of the patient. How can we ensure the patient is getting the best care?"
Do you have a question about politics in Nevada? Ask Steve Sebelius at Steve.Sebelius@ktnv.com.
