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US senators are meeting during the weekend for the initial time since the government shutdown began over a month ago, but hopes for a cross-party deal on how to end the standoff appeared to diminish as GOP senators proposed a proposal unacceptable to Democrats: scrapping the ACA, called Obamacare.

Deepening Impact of Federal Closure

The impact on Americans from the lengthiest shutdown of the US government in history deepened on Saturday, as federal workers went without pay, airlines were compelled to ground planes and SNAP benefits have been delayed for forty-two million Americans.

Trump's Plan from Golf Course

As Saturday's meeting got started, Republican senators welcomed a suggestion made on social media early Saturday by Donald Trump from his resort in West Palm Beach, for government payments to be replaced by HSA-style accounts.

"I am recommending to Senate Republicans that the Hundreds of Billions of Dollars currently being sent to profit-driven Insurance Companies in order to save the bad Healthcare provided by ObamaCare, BE SENT DIRECTLY TO THE PEOPLE SO THAT THEY CAN PURCHASE THEIR OWN, MUCH BETTER, HEALTHCARE," Trump wrote.

GOP Support

Several Republican senators praised the plan, which is comparable with a alternative for Obamacare put forward in 2017.

"We're going to replace this failing program with something that is truly better for the consumer," one senator said.

Another senator commended Trump's suggestion on social media, and stood next to a giant blow-up of Trump's post as he spoke on the Senate floor.

"I am drafting the bill right now," a third senator wrote in response to Trump's suggestion. "We must stop taxpayer money from going to insurance companies and instead give it directly to Americans in HSA-style accounts and let them buy the medical coverage they want."

Opposition Response

Democratic senators expressed concerned responses to Trump's plan.

"In other words, Donald Trump's 'proposal' for health care is yet another calculated attempt to repeal Obamacare," one Democratic senator commented. "This is the same unsuccessful Republican plan that's been defeated by voters and Congress."

Another lawmaker responded to the censure of insurance companies by writing: "Well, Trump and the Republicans dislike how the big, bad insurance companies are ripping-off Americans. Seriously? In that case I applaud your support for universal healthcare."

Continuing Negotiations

The Senate went into recess without reaching a resolution, but Senate Republican leaders have signaled an willingness to an emerging plan from a small group of centrist lawmakers to terminate the closure in return for a future vote on the Obamacare subsidies.

One Democratic senator, who is leading the talks among centrists, said that Democrats "need another path forward" after Republicans turned down an offer to restart the government and extend the subsidies for a year.

Another senior Democratic senator persisted in maintaining that Republicans should agree to a one-year extension of the subsidies before discussing the long-term of the subsidies.

"Doing nothing is irresponsible because citizens will go into debt, people will become uninsured, people will get more ill," the senator said in a Senate address. "That's what will happen if this Congress does nothing."

Political Situation

Not one of the Republican senators seemed to address the fact that consumers would still need to buy coverage from the same insurance companies, or that Republican legislators need the backing of eight Democrats to restart the government, and the concept of repealing and substituting Obamacare with savings accounts is unlikely to earn a solitary Democratic vote.

Some observers indicated that the essence of such a proposal would eliminate the ACA's mandate that carriers cover patients with existing health issues.

After his golf outing, Trump went back to his private club and doubled down on his demand that Republicans stop seeking agreement and try instead to repeal and replace Obamacare with a iteration of the proposal that failed to garner enough support in 2017.