How do Democratic voters feel about the Senate’s breakaway eight?
After eight senators in the Democratic caucus struck a deal to end the government shutdown, virtually every other faction of their party denounced it.
The senators said their compromise was pragmatic. The shutdown had done little to achieve the Democrats’ goal of extending Affordable Care Act subsidies, they said, while inflicting harm on federal workers and families.
But other Democrats said the deal was one-sided, with Republicans agreeing only to hold a vote on the health care subsidy issue later this year, when the subsidies are set to expire. There is little chance that the measure would win the 60 votes required to pass.
We asked voters who support the Democratic Party what they thought of the deal — and their answers often depended on their life circumstances.
‘I wish they had held out for a better deal.’
Sam Consiglio, 22, Seattle
Sam Consiglio, a graduate student in urban planning at the University of Washington, believes the essence of good governing is compromise.
But the deal struck Ms. Consiglio as a bad bargain. “It’s disheartening,” she said. “These senators are supposed to have the tough conversations and make decisions that are best for us. I wish they had held out for a better deal.”
With so many people struggling to pay for health care, results are what matter to her. “One of my friend’s parents just found out their premiums are going from $800 to almost $2,400 a month,” she said. “That’s an insane jump.”
— Kurt Streeter
‘I was ready to move on.’
Annabelle Collins, 37, Mercedes, Texas
Annabelle Collins was relieved when she heard the news that the government shutdown might soon end.
She had begun to worry about how an extended shutdown could affect her husband’s pay as a Border Patrol agent. She was concerned that chaos at the airports would keep her stepson from flying to Texas from Iowa for Christmas. She felt bad for recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, who were going hungry. And she became anxious about the potential long-term effects on her job and the students and families she helps at a school district program for migrants.
This was the first time Ms. Collins and her husband had dealt with a government shutdown since he began his job with the Border Patrol. Her husband continued to be paid, but Ms. Collins said that it was clear that could change at any moment.
“Maybe it was not the outcome that the Democrats wanted, but I was ready to move on from the uncertainty of the government shutdown,” said Ms. Collins, an independent who voted for Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024.
She said that she saw a few silver linings in this difficult period: She was happy to see so many Americans stepping up to help people in need, and she hoped that the recent election results meant that voters were beginning to realize that Mr. Trump’s administration was not the solution to their problems.
“I do see the tides are changing just a little bit,” she said.
— Christina Morales
‘For me, the government shutdown is a double-edged sword.’
Clifford Eugene, 74, Lacombe, La.
The government shutdown has left Clifford Eugene deeply conflicted.
As a longtime Democrat, he said he believed in the party’s fight to extend the Affordable Care Act federal health care subsidies for the most needy. But as the father of two furloughed federal contractors, he wanted to see them return to their jobs as soon as possible.
“I am sad that we gave in to this ransom demand,” he said. “We had the upper hand, and I wish we just could have waited a little bit longer.”
“At the same time,” he added, “my sons are out of work, and we are helping to supplement their income so they can take care of their families. So for me, the government shutdown is a double-edged sword.”
Mr. Clifford, a retired federal bank examiner, thinks that once the Obamacare subsidies — which made insurance relatively affordable — expire on Dec. 31, American voters living in both red and blue states will suffer. That message, he said, was just starting to puncture the political divide when the Democrats caved.
— Audra D. S. Burch
‘The 40 days were for nothing, basically.’
Thien Doan, 36, Orange, Calif.
Thien Doan was thrilled last week when Democrats scored a string of victories in elections in California, New Jersey and Virginia. He was full of hope that his party was starting to rebound.
So he was frustrated that several Democratic senators had reached a deal to end the government shutdown without securing what he thought were significant concessions from Republicans.
“Things were going in the right direction,” Mr. Doan said. “Then all of a sudden, these Democrats, they folded, and that was just very disappointing to see.”
Mr. Doan never thought that supporting a government shutdown was a great plan. But once Democrats decided to withhold their votes to fund the government, he wanted them to stick to their demands for health care subsidies. Even if they couldn’t get Republicans to agree to the full subsidies, he thought they should have negotiated for at least some additional health care funding.
“The 40 days were for nothing, basically,” he said. “It just seems like they didn’t get anything out of it.”
He is worried that the Senate agreement makes Democrats seem feeble and unfocused, imperiling their appeal to voters.
“They’ve just been weak about everything,” he said. “They don’t dig their heels in. It doesn’t feel like they stand for anything.”
— Laurel Rosenhall
‘I didn’t think this fight was winnable from the start.’
Emily Rose, 19, River Falls, Wis.
Emily Rose was not surprised that some Democrats compromised.
“Do I want people in Congress to put up more of a fight against the current administration — yes,” she said in an email. “But I didn’t think this fight was winnable from the start.”
Ms. Rose, who is a student in environmental engineering, thinks this has to do with the parties’ makeup.
“Democrats would concede,” she said. “They’re the ones who want to keep government running.”
Anyway she added, “At this point I agree with the Democrats who said that it was more important at this point to get people fed and flying safely before Thanksgiving.”
— Ernesto Londoño
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