Democrats in Congress successfully resisted U.S. President Donald Trump, leading to the longest federal government shutdown in American history. However, with a few Democratic senators agreeing to a deal to end the shutdown, the party risks losing some of the political advantage gained over the past six weeks. Polls consistently showed Democrats winning the public opinion battle during the shutdown, with most voters blaming the Republicans or Trump over the Democrats. These polls also indicated majority support for the Democrats on the critical issue of health insurance subsidies that could raise premiums for millions of Americans.
After 40 days of the shutdown, Democrats have only secured a Republican commitment to vote on extending the subsidies, a vote they are likely to lose. Republican Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, taunted the Democrats, emphasizing that they gained little tangible from the shutdown. Critics, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, termed the deal “pathetic” and a “surrender,” sparking backlash from prominent Democrats.
While the shutdown brought some political gains for Democrats, it began affecting ordinary Americans, with thousands of flights canceled, federal workers going unpaid, and low-income Americans facing potential SNAP benefit loss. Eight Senate Democrats broke ranks to advance the bill ending the shutdown, emphasizing that further progress was unattainable through the shutdown tactic. The deal may pass the House soon, with Democrats planning to focus on healthcare affordability issues to challenge Republicans in the future.