Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has seized on the plan that Republicans floated — and then discarded — to soften the shutdown's sting for some federal workers and aid beneficiaries.

Why it matters: Schumer's strategy had been to withhold votes across the board while Democrats fought for Affordable Care Act subsidies. Now he's pushing a partial reopening of government, without those ACA subsidies as part of the equation.

• It's an attempt to make Republicans own more of the acute and escalating pain of the government shutdown.
• "Democrats will introduce a clean, standalone bill today to ... keep SNAP benefits flowing," Schumer said on the Senate floor.

Zoom in: Schumer and top Democrats see Senate Majority Leader John Thune's decision not to pursue a "rifle shot" strategy as an opportunity to apply pressure on Republicans.

• After Thune's first three plans to open up all — or part — of the government failed, he suggested last week that he was open to "rifle shots" to fund parts of the government.
• But Republicans realized such bills would reduce their overall leverage, we reported last night.
• Today, pursuing that plan was called off in a closed-door luncheon, with Vice President Vance voicing his firm opposition.

Look for Senate Democrats to add to today's push to release SNAP funds with more à la carte funding bills in the coming days.

• "We can't let politics starve children. This bill is simple, targeted and necessary," said Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.).
• "I'm a yes on the SNAP bill. The money exists. The need is urgent. There's no excuse," said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).

The bottom line: Last week, Schumer called a GOP bill to pay the military and some federal workers a "ruse."

• "We will not give Donald Trump a license to play politics with people's livelihoods," he said in a speech from the Senate floor.

— Hans Nichols, Stef Kight and Stephen Neukam

Speaker Mike Johnson is now up to more than a half-dozen known members pushing for the House to return from their month-plus hiatus.

• On a private GOP call this afternoon, Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) questioned how the House could make up for the lost days, a source on the call told us.

Why it matters: Johnson's not wrong when he brags about his conference's unity on the shutdown. But the cracks are growing.

• Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) also raised concerns on the call about being on recess. They both have expressed opposition before.
• The House last voted on Sept. 19, when it passed a short-term spending stopgap.
• Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) and Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) have also called for the House to return, though not on today's GOP call.

The intrigue: It's not just the members who spoke up on the call who are questioning their party's refusal to negotiate with Democrats.

• "I do think we should be negotiating the ACA tax credits and have that compromise to put in the Approps bills," Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a retiring centrist, told us.
• "We don't need [it] for the CR, but if we all negotiate in good faith within the Approps process, we may break the ice jam."

The other side: Several Republicans stressed to us that while more members are expressing doubts about Johnson's approach, the skeptical view remains relatively marginal.

• "I haven't heard it anywhere else," one senior House Republican told us.
• "The speaker's play call is correct," said Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), a member of the often rebellious House Freedom Caucus.

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— Kate Santaliz and Andrew Solender

Senate Democrats are quietly meeting to explore new ways to apply congressional oversight to Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Trump Justice Department, multiple sources told us.

Why it matters: Democrats are fed up with the Justice Department, which they say has dodged oversight and ignored requests for information — even under oath.

• Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) — all on the Senate Judiciary Committee — huddled today to strategize, sources told us.
• The party's clashes with the DOJ are only growing, including over the Epstein files, the prosecution of President Trump's political foes and alleged corruption by top administration officials.
• At a hearing this month, Bondi refused to answer senators' questions about investigations into former FBI Director James Comey and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The big picture: Some Democrats are paying attention to the tactics of other Democratic leaders across the country in dealing with the Trump DOJ, one of the sources said.

• Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker's formation of a commission to track the actions of federal law enforcement in the state has caught the attention of some Democrats on Capitol Hill.
• Pritzker's move was in response to the surge of warrantless arrests and the use of tear gas and rubber bullets on nonviolent protestors.

Between the lines: Bondi has also deflected questions about bribery allegations against Trump's border czar Tom Homan (who called the reports bullsh*t) and the investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James.

• Senate Democrats have publicly complained in recent months about what they say is the DOJ's refusal to answer their requests for investigations into issues like the threats against federal judges.
• Schiff's office declined to comment on this story. Representatives for Whitehouse and Blumenthal could not be reached for comment.

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— Stephen Neukam