A record-breaking, 40-day government shutdown ended a few nights ago after eight Senate Democrats broke ranks to vote with Republicans, advancing legislation back to the House, where Republicans hold an outright majority. On paper, to someone who does not take an interest in governmental affairs, this may seem like positive news.
The government shutdown put vital parts of many Americans’ lives on pause, including those who received assistance from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). A lackluster understanding of the shutdown, however, clouds the truth of what its outcome means for the future. The most immediate negative consequence will come in the skyrocketing healthcare premiums for millions of Americans. This increase stems from the unwillingness of President Donald Trump and House Republicans to extend programs already put in place by Obamacare, which ensure that millions of Americans will receive necessary healthcare.
Originally, while this bill had a majority in the Senate, it did not have enough votes to clear the filibuster. Senate Democrats, in a rare showing of any sort of spine, chose to filibuster the bill until Obamacare programs were guaranteed by Republicans. However, the consolation offered was that Republicans would simply discuss the continuation of these programs at a later date, after a shutdown had been averted. As a result, the shutdown standoff effectively accomplished nothing. Democrats in the Senate surrendered millions of dollars in SNAP benefits for low-income and working-class Americans for little to nothing to show for it.
This is not an unreasonable sticking point for a shutdown. Democrats were simply asking for existing programs to continue to provide healthcare for Americans who would otherwise be unable to afford it. After considering this context, it is clear, the blame for the cessation of government operations like SNAP lies entirely at the feet of House and Senate Republicans. They could have ended the standoff by agreeing to a measure so minimal that its passage would be an afterthought in almost any other circumstance.
This makes the caving of the eight Senate Democrats all the more infuriating. It was entirely on the shoulders of Republicans to come to the table to put an end to the shutdown. They have control of every other facet of government on the national level, and the filibuster is perhaps the only piece of real power the Democrats held at the federal level. What the Democrats were asking for in this shutdown was far from unreasonable. The eight Democratic Senators flipped anyway, despite holding the cards necessary to guarantee the continuation of such programs.
The decision drew condemnation from across the Democratic Party. Progressives such as Abdul El-Sayed joined centrist Democrats in calling the decision shortsighted and unnecessary. This all trails back to Senate Democratic leadership, particularly Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Although he did not vote for the agreement, it reflects his leadership, and is prime evidence of the need for new leadership in the Senate. Democratic incumbents should be faced with vicious challenges in the primaries until Schumer steps aside or is replaced. Every moment he remains in power leaves Democrats less prepared to counter the agenda of Trump and congressional Republicans.
