43 days later, and the government has finally reopened, but at what cost?
Funding bill — H.R. 5371, the Continuing Appropriations Act — passed 60 to 40 in the Senate Nov. 10, extending operations through Jan. 30, 2026, and adding a minibus with full-year funding for Veterans Affairs, Agriculture-FDA-Rural Development and the Legislative Branch. The bill includes reimbursement for states and organizations that kept programs running during the shutdown, but concerningly leaves healthcare subsidies untouched.
The House agreed to amendments made to the funding bill by the Senate, 222 to 209 Nov. 12. It was then sent directly to President Donald Trump and signed into law on the same day.
The end of this shutdown should not be mistaken for the end of a crisis. What Congress passed was anything but a solution. Plain and simple, this is just a ceasefire that has brought eight Senate Democratic Caucus members with no backbone into the limelight.
Make no mistake: I’m relieved that we, federal workers, can finally return to paid work. I’m relieved that SNAP benefits will be restored. I’m relieved that federal agencies will reopen and resume the critical functions millions depend on, among other things.
But what good is all that if if the very same lawmakers responsible for the shutdown have learned nothing from it? What good is it, as roughly 15 million people will lose health coverage and become uninsured by 2034 because of the Medicaid and Affordable Healthcare Act marketplace cuts in the “Big Beautiful Bill?” What good is it if health insurance premiums are expected to skyrocket following the failure to extend ACA subsidies? What good is it if federal agencies will run out of money again Jan. 30, 2026? Can we trust our government to ensure that when that time comes again, we won’t face another lapse in funding?
Mind you, this shutdown didn’t end because lawmakers suddenly found common ground; this is a massive win for only the GOP, given that Democratic senators, upon being forced into a corner, faltered and caved in on a one-sided bill.
The eight Senate Democratic Caucus members not only sold out their Senate colleagues and every Democrat in the House, but also us American citizens who opposed the GOP’s spending bill, which gives Donald Trump’s administration tremendous spending power.
The lawmakers whose traitorous votes allowed the purely Republican bill to pass were Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, Dick Durbin, Tim Kaine, Maggie Hassan, Angus King, John Fetterman, Jacky Rosen and Jeanne Shaheen. None of whom are up for reelection in 2026.
That’s a problem.
Although some senators’ reasons for reopening were fairly justified, given that their constituents were struggling, the long-term consequences of this decision far outweigh the short-term relief. As they are elected and educated government officials, I would hope they recognize just that. Yet I can’t help but think that is not the case. These senators had nothing to lose politically; they had no looming election, no immediate accountability from the voters they claimed to represent.
Their willingness to cave on a bill so heavily tilted toward GOP priorities reveals a troublesome truth: When political self-preservation is not at stake, some lawmakers are willing to compromise the very values they campaigned on.
It’s worse, too, given that said willingness has real consequences. By caving now, these senators have weakened the Democratic Party’s negotiating power. Instead of drawing a line in the sand, they erased it entirely. The message this sends to the Trump administration is clear: hold the government hostage long enough and lo and behold, the Democrats will eventually fold.
What’s so appalling to me though, is that the numbers were clear as day, given that as the shutdown dragged on, Trump’s ratings were dropping exponentially. I hate to sound partisan, but in this regard, it truly is a partisan matter. If the Democrats remained steadfast, public pressure would have been shifting increasingly in their favor. Every credible poll showed that Americans were growing more frustrated with the Trump administration’s handling of the shutdown, not with Democrats.
To be frank, I’m glad these senators are not up for reelection; their constituents deserve new leadership. Perhaps beyond their states, it is time we reconsider leadership in our own ways, too. In a manner where we hold our elected officials to a higher standard than mere convenience.
