{"id":15486,"date":"2025-11-10T17:01:48","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T17:01:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/2026-democrats-jump-to-pan-the-shutdown-deal\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T17:01:48","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T17:01:48","slug":"2026-democrats-jump-to-pan-the-shutdown-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/2026-democrats-jump-to-pan-the-shutdown-deal\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 Democrats jump to pan the shutdown deal"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Senate Democrats\u2019 embrace of a shutdown deal<\/u><\/a> that doesn\u2019t guarantee extended health care subsidies is already an electoral issue.<\/p>\n

Nearly every major Democratic Senate candidate panned the deal, from Texas hopeful Colin Allred, a former member of Congress, deriding it as a \u201cjoke\u201d to Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton condemning it as a \u201ccomplete betrayal of the American people.\u201d Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), the party\u2019s most vulnerable incumbent in 2026, voted against advancing it, as did several senators eyeing a 2028 White House bid.<\/p>\n

\u201cPathetic,\u201d California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on X<\/u><\/a>. \u201cThis is not a deal \u2014 it\u2019s an empty promise,\u201d Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois said<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Sunday agreement even caused a familial dispute: Stefany Shaheen, who is running in a crowded Democratic primary for an open House seat in New Hampshire, said she couldn\u2019t support a deal<\/u><\/a> that failed to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. Her mother, retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, was one of the lead Democratic negotiators of the deal.<\/p>\n

Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas, who is running to replace Jeanne Shaheen, creating the very opening her daughter is vying to fill, also rejected it in a statement Monday<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n

After looking to make soaring health care costs an albatross for Republicans in the midterms, Democrats\u2019 deal to reopen the government after 40 days without language extending the expiring insurance subsidies delivered a blow to their base. The result was so fraught, even Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) opposed it amid intense criticism for allowing eight members of the Democratic caucus to side with Republicans.<\/p>\n

Now it\u2019s creating a litmus test for candidates in competitive midterm races next year, as Democrats fight to retake the Senate \u2014 a tough task they feel better about after routing Republicans in last week\u2019s off-cycle elections throughout the country. They\u2019d need to net four seats in order to seize control of the upper chamber.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe infighting over the deal will fade quickly and by the time we get closer to the midterms, it\u2019s very clear that Democrats will aggressively prosecute the case against Republicans on health care,\u201d said Matt Bennett of the centrist think tank Third Way. \u201cThey will say Republicans yanked lifesaving money away from millions of Americans to fund tax cuts for the rich. And that will have the benefit of being true.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thirty-three Senate seats are up for grabs next year and Democrats are making a serious play for holding or flipping at least a dozen of them. A quartet of candidates vying for open seats \u2014 Graham Platner in Maine, Mallory McMorrow in Michigan and Zach Wahls and Nathan Sage in Iowa \u2014 reiterated their opposition to Schumer\u2019s leadership<\/u> as news of the deal spread.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cChuck Schumer failed in his job yet again,\u201d Platner said in a video on X<\/u><\/a>. \u201cWe need to elect leaders who want to fight. \u2026 Call your senators and tell them Chuck Schumer can no longer be leader. Call your congressman and tell them that they cannot vote for this when it comes to them.\u201d <\/p>\n

In Michigan\u2019s three-way primary, each candidate panned the deal, representing the ideologically vast opposition within a party otherwise mired in internal dispute.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a bad deal,\u201d McMorrow said in a video<\/u><\/a> late Sunday, adding that \u201cthe old way of doing things is not working.\u201d Abdul El-Sayed slammed the \u201cshit\u201d agreement<\/u><\/a> and castigated Democrats for giving up their leverage \u201cwhen we actually can force [Republicans] to the table\u201d after their electoral losses last week. Rep. Haley Stevens said the deal \u201cdoesn\u2019t work for Michigan\u201d<\/u><\/a> and that she\u2019s \u201cgoing to need a whole lot more than empty promises that we\u2019re going to lower costs.\u201d She did not say how she\u2019d vote on the measure in the House.<\/p>\n

Senate Democrats\u2019 capitulation opened an off-ramp to the record-breaking government shutdown that has snarled air travel and led to missed paychecks and lapsed food assistance. The agreement now advancing through the Senate would fund some agencies and programs for the full fiscal year and extend others until Jan. 30, 2026. It also promises Democrats a December floor vote on extending the expiring Obamacare subsidies, though it\u2019s uncertain to pass the GOP-controlled chamber and Speaker Mike Johnson won\u2019t promise to bring up such a vote in the House.<\/p>\n

But in cutting a deal, Senate Democrats infuriated a party reinvigorated by its off-year electoral blowout, sparking accusations that the party again squandered its only leverage in the Republican-led Congress \u2014 and ensuring Schumer\u2019s leadership will remain a touchstone<\/u><\/a> in competitive Senate races.<\/p>\n

None of the eight Democrats who voted to break the shutdown stalemate<\/u><\/a> are facing voters next year. Two are retiring; the rest are not up for reelection until at least 2028.<\/p>\n

They cited the financial pain the prolonged federal funding lapse was inflicting on their constituents. They cast the pending floor vote on the tax credits as a win for Democrats. And they touted other concessions they secured, like the rehiring of federal workers laid off during the shutdown.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis bill is not perfect, but it takes important steps to reduce their shutdown\u2019s hurt,\u201d Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Senate Democrat who is retiring next year, said Sunday.<\/p>\n

The Democrats vying to replace him disagree. Stratton, who\u2019s previously called for new Senate leadership, cast Democrats\u2019 cave<\/u><\/a> as \u201ca complete betrayal of the American people.\u201d Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi<\/u><\/a> and Robin Kelly<\/u><\/a> both said the outcome failed to help millions of people whose health care premiums are set to skyrocket.<\/p>\n

Across the Senate map, opposition spanned Schumer\u2019s handpicked recruits \u2014 who\u2019ve been largely silent about the shutdown \u2014 to the insurgents who\u2019ve called for his ouster.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a bad deal for Ohioans,\u201d former Sen. Sherrod Brown said in a statement. Maine Gov. Janet Mills panned<\/u><\/a> \u201cthe promise of a vote [on the subsidies] that won\u2019t go anywhere.\u201d Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper \u2014 Democrats\u2019 best chance for flipping a Senate seat and the last major candidate to weigh in on the deal \u2014 said in a statement<\/u><\/a> that \u201cany deal that lets health care costs continue to skyrocket is unacceptable.<\/p>\n

Sage slammed the Senate Democrats<\/u> who \u201ccaved and accomplished nothing.\u201d Jordan Wood, another Democrat running in Maine, said<\/u> \u201cAmerica needs an opposition party willing to fight for them.\u201d Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan said in a video<\/u>, \u201cwe deserve so much more than this bullshit.\u201d Hours later, she was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)<\/u>, who voted against the deal.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf people believe this is a \u2018deal,\u2019 I have a bridge to sell you,\u201d said Flanagan\u2019s rival, Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), adding that she\u2019s a \u201cno\u201d<\/u><\/a> when the measure comes up for a vote in the House. \u201cI\u2019m not going to put 24 million Americans at risk of losing their health care.\u201d<\/p>\n

Senate Democrats who brokered the spending deal argued Sunday that they had succeeded in hanging rising health care costs on Republicans\u2019 necks heading into the midterms.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Republicans want to join us in lowering costs for working families, they have the perfect opportunity,\u201d Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nevada) said Sunday at the Capitol. \u201cIf they do choose not to come to the table, they can own the disastrous premium increases.\u201d<\/p>\n

Democrats continued to target their own.<\/p>\n

Rep. Mikie Sherrill, who was elected the next governor of New Jersey in last week\u2019s blue wave, denounced the deal<\/u><\/a> as \u201cmalpractice.\u201d Zohran Mamdani, New York City\u2019s incoming mayor who Schumer declined to endorse, said the compromise and anyone who supports it \u201cshould be rejected.\u201d<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not a deal,\u201d Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), who drew a primary challenge<\/u><\/a> last week, said Sunday<\/u><\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s an unconditional surrender.\u201d<\/p>\n

The political blast radius is extending to Schumer, who is up for reelection in 2028.<\/p>\n

Some progressive Democrats and advocacy groups called for his ouster as leader, blaming him for failing to keep his caucus in line even as he voted against the deal he said didn\u2019t address the \u201chealth care crisis\u201d and vowed to \u201ckeep fighting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schumer \u201cis no longer effective and should be replaced,\u201d Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), a potential 2028er, blasted out on X<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Sunrise Movement called for Schumer to step aside. Justice Democrats urged voters to reject the eight Senate Democrats<\/u><\/a> who allowed the funding patch to proceed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think the Democrats leading this surrender effort understand the trust they are shattering in their own voting coalition,\u201d Andrew O\u2019Neill, the national advocacy director for Indivisible, warned Sunday night.<\/p>\n

Schumer voted against the bill because it does \u201cnothing\u201d to address a \u201chealth care crisis\u201d he called \u201cdevastating.\u201d He pledged to \u201ckeep fighting.\u201d<\/p>\n

As House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, too, vowed to fight on, O\u2019Neill called for his caucus to follow suit. Several said Sunday that they would.<\/p>\n

Adam Wren contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Senate Democrats\u2019 embrace of a shutdown deal that doesn\u2019t guarantee extended health care subsidies is already an electoral issue. Nearly every major Democratic Senate candidate panned the deal, from Texas hopeful Colin Allred, a former member of Congress, deriding it as a \u201cjoke\u201d to Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton condemning it as a \u201ccomplete betrayal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15486"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15486\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}