Shutdown Deal: Democrats Get Nothing, Again
Eight senators traded 41 days of leverage for a worthless promise
They had everything. Fresh off the best election night in years, public opinion breaking their way, a GOP that just spent 41 days showing how far it would push people into chaos. The ask was narrow and popular: extend enhanced ACA premium credits so 75 million Americans don’t lose coverage or drown in bills.
Then eight senators walked into a room and decided comfort beat leverage.
On November 9, 2025, the Senate moved a Republican funding bill 60–40. The breakaways: Tim Kaine, Dick Durbin, John Fetterman, Maggie Hassan, Catherine Cortez Masto, Jacky Rosen, Jeanne Shaheen, and Angus King.
In return for ending the shutdown? A promise of a December vote on healthcare. Not text. Not a deal. Maybe a vote.
Jon Stewart said it best: “I can’t f***ing believe it.”
Look at the eight. Some retiring. Some safe. Explanations came fast about constituents hurting and federal workers at risk. The other side weaponized pain, and the center flinched.
The progressive rebuttal landed like a hammer. If pain was the reason to fold, the game was already lost. The plan required endurance. Instead, the caucus paid retail for a procedural IOU.
Meanwhile, House Republicans packed up for recess. Mike Johnson showed exactly how much those assurances mattered. The GOP playbook was transparent: no negotiation, no movement, wait for cracks.
The cracks arrived.
Our Revolution told Schumer to step down. Either he supported the cave and hid it, or he couldn’t keep discipline. Pick your failure.
Stefany Shaheen publicly split with her mother’s vote. Bernie called it pathetic. Stewart’s monologue became the postmortem because it captured the vibe perfectly. Up 10 with three minutes left, and somehow it slips away.
Defenders offered the usual line. People were hurting, the shutdown had to end, a later vote beats nothing.
But the politics cut the other direction. Republicans were bleeding in the polls for the shutdown. The longer it lasted, the worse they looked. Democrats held the high ground, then climbed down for a paper bridge to nowhere.
If the concern was human suffering, the move was to squeeze until policy appeared. Not to blink at peak leverage. Because now a lesson has been taught: extend the pain long enough and the caucus fractures. Expect a replay.
Short term, Republicans got the win. Government reopened, no healthcare concession. Trump crowed that Democrats got not much.
He’s right on tactics. On strategy, the party now owns the fallout. The ACA credits are expiring. Premiums will spike. Coverage will drop. The record shows Republicans fought to keep it that way. Their own pollsters flagged the risk heading into 2026.
The opening is obvious. Whether Democrats can prosecute that case is far less obvious.