Republican Cruelty Won the Shutdown
The Democrats caved, but the cruelty is on the Republicans.
Yesterday, eight Senate Democrats voted with Senate Republicans to reopen the government.
Politico summarized the deal this way:
As part of Democrats’ agreement to end the shutdown, Thune is promising Senate Democrats a vote in mid-December to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies that are due to expire at the end of the year without Congressional action. Democrats will also get to determine what extension bill receives that vote.
The government-opening agreement guarantees that federal employees laid off during the shutdown are re-hired and gives federal employees backpay. It also would require agencies to give written notice to Congress about the withdrawal of the so-called reduction-in-force notices issued during the funding lapse, plus provide the amount of back pay owed.
The Shutdown Failed
Shutdowns are won by:
Blaming the opposition,
Making the fight about a popular issue,
And making the other side cave under pressure.
Senate Democrats succeeded on two of those three:
They got the public to blame Trump and Republicans for the shutdown.
They spotlighted Republicans’ refusal to renew Obamacare subsidies.
They exposed Trump’s cruelty — dragging the fight into court to avoid paying SNAP benefits.
All of this may help politically as the midterms approach.
But that’s not the same as winning.
Democrats said they wouldn’t reopen the government unless the Obamacare tax credits were extended. Last night, they reopened it without that extension.
Millions will now face premium spikes. Thousands will skip care. Some will die because of it. The shutdown failed to prevent that outcome.
But that doesn’t mean the Democrats are to blame.
Republican Cruelty Won
To raise healthcare premiums for millions, Donald Trump was willing to let children go hungry. His administration even ignored a judge’s order to fund SNAP.
As The Bulwark’s Catherine Rampell wrote:
“Astonishing how hard this administration is working to keep people hungry. It’s clear they are trying [to] maximize public suffering, in hopes of getting people to blame Dem[ocrat]s for that suffering. But it’s transparently the White House working overtime to keep the suffering going!”
That is the story of this shutdown: Republicans’ tolerance for cruelty outlasted Democrats’ tolerance for pain.
And let’s be honest: the promised “vote” on healthcare subsidies is dead on arrival. Mike Johnson will never bring it to the floor.
The Republican Party was willing to starve children, ground flights, and shutter the government, all to make healthcare more expensive for working Americans.
Final Thoughts
I’m frustrated. For once, the momentum was on the Democrats’ side. Trump was being blamed. Polls showed people paying attention. Pressure was building.
I wish Democrats had held out another week — closer to Thanksgiving, when the pressure would have been unbearable. But I’m not a federal worker waiting on pay. I’m not a parent counting on SNAP. I don’t travel for Thanksgiving.
The reality is that Republicans control the Senate, the House, and the presidency — and they were never going to extend the Obamacare subsidies.
So now the focus shifts.
Goal number one: make sure they don’t control the House or Senate in 2026.
Goal number two: make sure the public knows exactly what this shutdown was about.
Today’s news will be about a “Democratic cave.” That’s fine — process stories like that tend to dissipate.
The story of Trump and the Republican Party raising healthcare costs for millions of Americans will stick.
We’d better make sure it does.