WASHINGTON ‒ President Donald Trump said he’s negotiating health care policy with congressional Democrats and is open to making a deal on expiring health insurance subsidies, marking a potential breakthrough in the impasse over the federal government shutdown.

"We have a negotiation going on with the Democrats that could lead to good things," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Oct. 6. "And I'm talking about good things with regard to health care."

Democrats have demanded that any bill to fund the government include reversing Republicans’ cuts to Medicaid passed this summer and extending subsidies in the Affordable Care Act, also called Obamacare, that are set to expire at the end of the year.

Asked whether he’s willing to make a deal with Democrats on the expiring Obamacare subsidies for lower-income families, Trump said: "If we made the right deal, I’d make a deal. Sure," Trump said.

"We're talking to the Democrats," Trump said. "I'd like to see a deal done for great health care ‒ yeah. I'm a Republican, but I want to see health care, much more so than the Democrats."

Trump did not identify the Democrats who are part of the discussions. Republican leaders in Congress have repeatedly said they won't negotiate health care policy until the government is reopened. The White House has taken that same position publicly.

“Trump’s claim isn’t true — but if he’s finally ready to work with Democrats, we’ll be at the table," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.

Trump said mass layoffs of federal employees remain a possibility amid the shutdown. The White House last week warned that mass reductions of force were "imminent," but the administration has yet to follow through on the threats of firings. About 750,000 federal workers have been furloughed during the shutdown.

“It could,” Trump said when asked whether another defeat in the Senate of Republicans' funding bill could lead to layoffs. “At some point it will.”

There are indications the White House has been concerned about how expiring Obamacare subsidies could affect Americans. If the Affordable Care Act subsidies are not renewed, premiums are expected to double, according to the research organization KFF.

Sen. John Hoeven, R-North Dakota, said he had multiple conversations on the topic before the shutdown with Dr. Mehmet Oz, who leads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in the Trump administration.

"They're already working on the issue," Hoeven told USA TODAY.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, said last Friday that moderate Democrats like himself want an "ironclad" commitment to extending the subsidies for families making up to 400% of the poverty level, which are given in the form of a tax credit. That could either be in legislation, he said, or a public agreement potentially including Trump in which "everybody shakes hands."

"That's what I feel like I need," he said.

Trump’s campaign pollster Tony Fabrizio has argued Republicans should support extending the subsidy to boost their changes in the 2026 midterm elections. A poll Fabrizio conducted in July across 28 competitive congressional districts found an overwhelming 72% of voters support extending the premium tax credits. That includes 55% of voters who support Trump and 67% of swing voters in those districts.

“Republicans have an opportunity to overcome a current generic ballot deficit and take the lead by extending the healthcare premium tax credits for those who purchase health insurance for themselves,” Fabrizio and pollster Bob Ward wrote in a polling memo.

Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says he's open to striking deal with Democrats on extending health care subsidies

Reporting by Joey Garrison and Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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