From the New York Times: Senate Deadlocks on Health Care, Leaving Subsidies to Expire

For our look at the 119th Congress: 

- Click here for the article. 

The Senate on Thursday deadlocked on competing proposals to avert rising health care premiums, blocking Democratic and Republican alternatives in an outcome that made it all but certain that expanded tax subsidies for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act will expire at the end of the month.

Republicans squelched a bid by Democrats, who had demanded action on the issue during the 43-day government shutdown, to extend the insurance subsidies for three years.

Democrats turned back a Republican alternative that would replace the subsidies with an expansion of tax-advantaged health savings accounts and direct payments of up to $1,500 to people who buy the most basic health insurance plans.

Neither proposal could muster the 60 votes necessary to overcome a filibuster and move ahead, a long-expected result that teed up a brutal battle over health care that is likely to shape the fight for control of Congress next year.

The two bills were: 

- S. 3386; A bill to provide a health savings account contribution to certain enrollees, to reduce health care costs, and for other purposes.

- S. 3385; A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the enhancement of the health care premium tax credit.

Each required 60 votes - a 3/5ths supermajority - in order to avoid a filibuster and be heard on the floor of the Senate. This called cloture. Neither did.

Here are those votes: 

- On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Motion to Proceed to S. 3385)

- On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Motion to Proceed to S. 3386)