(Politico Pro on federal showdown re:  Obamacare subsidies, 12/16)

Rank-and-file dealmakers in both chambers are making last-ditch attempts to extend key Obamacare subsidies this week, even as it becomes crystal clear the subsidies will expire first.

House GOP moderates are hashing out what sort of extension to offer as an amendment at this afternoon’s Rules meeting — even as they signal they will fall in line with Speaker Mike Johnson’s health care plan whether they get a vote or not, Meredith Lee Hill and Mia report. A bipartisan Senate group is working simultaneously toward an extension framework that they hope to announce by the end of the week, while acknowledging it won’t get a vote till next year, Jordain Carney reports with Calen.

Here’s where the mod movement in each chamber stands.

— IN THE HOUSE: House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said Monday night there’s no “final decision” on putting a subsidy extension amendment on the floor. This morning’s GOP Conference meeting could get heated as frustrated moderates — who call a subsidy extension omission “a huge mistake” — make their last plea for a vote. But they face a huge obstacle at the 2 p.m. Rules meeting this afternoon, where Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and other moderates are unlikely to get a warm welcome from the panel’s conservative hard-liners, who are firmly against extending Obamacare in any form. The moderates could pull a page out of the Freedom Caucus playbook and threaten to tank the rule or the underlying bill in return, but that does not appear to be in the cards: “I wouldn’t vote against it in protest,” Fitzpatrick said.

— IN THE SENATE: Meanwhile, nearly two dozen senators convened by Sens. Susan Collins and Bernie Moreno discussed issuing a roadmap this week toward a bipartisan deal. The rough framework under discussion would pair a two-year subsidy extension with a new income eligibility cap and fraud prevention language. A potential extension of open enrollment for Obamacare exchanges and possible restrictions on abortion funding also remain under consideration. That’s similar to Fitzpatrick’s proposal in the House, but the two efforts so far are entirely parallel. But there is some hope they might eventually converge: Rank-and-file senators are invited to join a Problem Solvers Caucus meeting Fitzpatrick is hosting Wednesday to discuss a joint effort.

But this much is clear: The Dec. 31 deadline for the subsidies is certain to come and go. “The calendar precludes getting something done this week,” Sen. Bill Cassidy told reporters. “But, still, a commitment to work together is a lot of progress.”