Senate Democrats abandoned their demands for healthcare for illegal immigrants Sunday night, caving to Republican demands and voting to reopen the government after a 40-day standoff that saw Democrats block funding 14 times while millions of Americans suffered.
Eight Senate Democrats broke ranks with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to join Republicans in advancing legislation that would end the record-breaking shutdown. The vote passed 60-40, with Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine, Dick Durbin, Maggie Hassan, Jeanne Shaheen, and Jacky Rosen flipping to support the Republican bill.
They joined Democrats Catherine Cortez Masto, John Fetterman, and Independent Angus King, who had been voting to reopen the government for weeks. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky was the only Republican to vote against it.
Democrats received nothing on healthcare beyond a promise that the Senate will vote on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies before the end of the year — essentially what Senate Majority Leader John Thune offered more than a month ago that Democrats rejected.
“I am optimistic that after almost six weeks of this shutdown, we’ll finally be able to end it,” Thune declared from the Senate floor on Day 40 of the funding lapse.
The breakthrough came after moderate Democrats negotiated with Republicans to reopen the government in exchange for a December vote on healthcare subsidies — angering the socialist wing of the party, who accused them of capitulation.
Senate Democrats effectively surrendered with little to show for the shutdown beyond a guarantee of a vote from Thune. The vote is expected to quickly fail, considering the Senate’s GOP majority. The prospects of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives backing such a measure seem even more remote.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a socialist leader who sits as an independent but caucuses with Democrats, called the compromise a “policy and political disaster.”
“My own thought is that it would be a horrific mistake to cave in to Trump right now,” Sanders said.
Schumer also strongly opposed the compromise deal.
“I cannot in good faith support this [Continuing Resolution] that fails to address the health care crisis,” Schumer told the chamber. “This fight will and must continue.”
The collapse of Democratic Party unity led to calls for Schumer to be fired and replaced as the head of the party.
“Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced. If you can’t lead the fight to stop healthcare premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?” Rep. Ro Khanna of California wrote on social media.
Rep. Greg Casar, D-T.X., the chairman of the far-Left Congressional Progressive Caucus, called the deal a “betrayal” of millions of Americans.
“Accepting nothing but a pinky promise from Republicans isn’t a compromise – it’s capitulation,” Casar said in a post on X. “Millions of families would pay the price.”
Moderate Democrats who voted for the deal defended their decision.
Kaine said Democrats secured an agreement from the White House to reverse its mass firings of federal workers during the shutdown, as well as protections for them for the rest of this fiscal year. The deal also guarantees all federal workers will be paid for time during the shutdown.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a retiring Democrat from New Hampshire, said Republicans made clear repeatedly over recent months that “this was the only deal on the table.”
“Now I understand that not all of my Democratic colleagues are satisfied with this agreement, but waiting another week or another month wouldn’t deliver a better outcome,” Shaheen said.
Trump maintained throughout the shutdown that he would not negotiate on the inflated healthcare spending with the government closed. He held firm on that position, never bending to Democratic pressure tactics.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump blasted the subsidies as a “windfall for Health Insurance Companies, and a DISASTER for the American people,” and said the funds should be sent directly to individuals to buy coverage on their own.
“I stand ready to work with both Parties to solve this problem once the Government is open,” Trump wrote.