Senate Moves Toward Ending Shutdown, But At What Price?
And just like that, the united front shown by last week’s Democratic sweep is over.
This weekend, after 40 days — the longest government shutdown in U.S. history — Senate leaders struck a deal with eight moderate Democrats, who crossed party lines, to advance a temporary spending bill.
According to the Associated Press, these are the eight Senators who broke ranks:
- Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire
- Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois
- Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia
- Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia
- Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire
- Sen. Angus King of Maine
- Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada
- Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania
It is worth noting that none of these Senators will face re-election in 2026.
The bill leaves out healthcare subsidies for millions, a crucial point for young and lower-income Americans who rely on Affordable Care Act plans. Several Democratic leaders slammed the compromise, worrying premiums could double next year without these subsidies.
“To my mind, this was a very, very bad vote,” Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont said in a video shared on X. “What it does, first of all, is it raises health care premiums for over 20 million Americans by doubling, in some cases, tripling, or quadrupling. People can’t afford that when we are already paying the highest prices in the world for health care.”
Sanders noted that because of this decision, 15 million people will likely be thrown off of Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act.
The side effects of the historical shutdown hit the public hard. Staffing shortages at airports led to thousands of canceled flights and delays across the country, with even bigger cuts looming if the shutdown goes unresolved.
Around 42 million people who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, saw their benefits threatened, as days turned to weeks without a resolution. Around 750,000 federal workers were furloughed, and many more workers continued to work without pay. National parks and public programs also ground to a halt.
Despite Sander’s remarks, he shared what seemed like cautious optimism after last week’s wins.
“Just on Tuesday, we had an election all over this country, and what the election showed is that the American people want us to stand up,” Sanders said about the election.
Only time will tell.
