Dems Who Caved on Shutdown Battle Have One Key Thing in Common

None of the Senate Democratic caucus members who caved to Republican pressure to reopen the government will have to face voters in next year’s midterm elections.

Of the seven Democrats and one Independent who broke ranks to support a continuing resolution that will fund the government through January 30, two have announced they are retiring, and six are not up for re-election until 2028 or 2030.

The Senate voted 60-40 on Sunday to approve a stopgap measure that will fund most federal agencies and guarantee back pay for furloughed workers, which they were legally entitled to anyway.

It does not, however, include Democrats’ original demands to roll back Republican cuts to Medicaid and extend health insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.

Instead, Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune promised to hold a separate vote on legislation to extend the subsidies by mid-December.

Premiums for about 22 million Americans will skyrocket next year after the ACA credits expire, with the average recipient seeing their premiums double.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, however, has refused to commit to a vote, leading critics like California Gov. Gavin Newsom to blast the Democrats’ Senate deal as “pathetic” and a “surrender.”Two of the deal’s main architects, Democratic senators Dick Durbin of Illinois and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, are stepping down from the Senate at the end of 2026.

Dick Durbin, Maggie Hassan, John Fetterman,Jeanne Shahee — Clockwise from top left, Dick Durbin is retiring, Maggie Hassan is not up at the midterms, Jeanne Shaheen is retiring, and John Fetterman doesn’t face an election until 2028. Getty Images

Senators Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, aren’t up for re-election until 2028.

Democrats Jacky Rosen of Nevada and Tim Kaine of Virginia, and Independent Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with the Democrats, are safe until 2030.

Catherine Cortez Masto, Jacky Rosen, Tim Kaine, Angus King — From top left; Catherine Cortez Masto is not up for election for three more years, and Jacky Rosen, Tim Kaine and Angus King are all up in 2030. Getty Images

The deal to end the longest-running government shutdown on record, which began Oct. 1, sparked a furious civil war within the party, with several Democratic lawmakers describing “near universal frustration” with the agreement in interviews with Axios.

For weeks, President Donald Trump has tried to strong arm Democrats into accepting the Republican spending plan by trying to cancel federally funded projects in blue states, threatening to fire federal employees, and refusing to distribute supplemental nutrition payments.

The president has also repeatedly called for Senate Republicans to end the filibuster as he became increasingly desperate for the government to re-open.

During the shutdown, the president has faced record-low approval ratings, as polls showed that most voters blamed Republicans for the funding impasse.

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