The longest government shutdown in U.S. history appears to be coming to an end, after eight moderate members of the Senate Democratic caucus broke ranks to reach a deal with Republicans on Sunday.

Much remains to be developed and votes still need to be taken. But it appears that enough Democrats have given up on demanding an extension of Obamacare’s enhanced tax credits and have accepted much more modest concessions.

So how did this happen? What did we learn? And where do we go from here?

Here are some takeaways about the politics of it all.

The Democratic Party does not come out of this process empty-handed. He won a couple of notable concessions.

one is a commitment to hold a Senate vote to extend enhanced obamacare subsidies before next month, a vote that could put real political pressure on Republicans. Democrats also got Republicans to agree to reverse PresidPerhaps worsening travel delays and Americans going hungry amid the legal battle over food stamps would have finally cost Democrats.

We will probably never no.

but what is clear is that this surrender came at a bad time for Democrats.

It finally seemed like the party had some unity, purpose and wind at its back after a year of being divided and lost in the desert. Some polls suggested that Democratic voters, whose negative view of their party made it more unpopular than it had been in decades, were returning to their party’s brand. Last week’s election results, following the mobilization of millions of people in last month’s “No Kings” protests against Trump, were especially encouraging for the party.

But now Democrats will have to endure recriminations about whether the party really has the stomach to fight Trumpism. The lawmakers who pushed this deal appear poised for a veritable wave of vitriol from the base, and renewed efforts to oust Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York are likely.

In some ways, Democrats seem to be in a similar position to the one the Republican Party was in last decade, when much of the party wanted to fight harder, but more moderate and institutional sectors ultimately stood in the way of a bolder approach.And it has worked for him. Institutions like universities, law firms, and media companies have repeatedly caved in rather than confront Trump on these issues, even when it appeared they had the upper hand. And that certainly emboldens him.”Taking on Donald Trump didn’t work,” King said Monday morning on MSNBC, “it actually gave him more power.”

expect many Democrats to tear their hair out over that quote.

The flip side of Trump’s strategy, however, was that he displayed remarkable arrogance.

You just have to consider everything that happened in the last six weeks, and how little he cared about the image he gave.

The administration repeatedly fought to avoid paying full SNAP benefits. That provided legislative influence, yes, but it also ran the risk of making it seem like he wanted to use the poor and their hunger as leverage. The president attended a “The Great Gatsby”-themed party at his Mar-a-Lago resort the night before Americans began losing those SNAP benefits.

trump razed the East Wing of the Wh

Republicans Face Political Risk Over Affordable Care Act Subsidies

2025/11/11 01:44:22

With about three-quarters of Americans supporting tax credits, this issue raises very real political problems for Republicans. A recent Pew Research Center poll also showed that health care is the worst issue for the GOP among a dozen surveyed, with 42% favoring the Democratic Party’s approach, compared to just 29% for Republicans.

Just look at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia pleading with her party to renew these tax credits. Or the July memo drafted by Trump’s own pollster, Tony Fabrizio, arguing that letting the subsidies expire could spell political disaster for Republicans in the midterm elections. This record government shutdown could highlight the choice Republicans are about to make. By voting for a deal that doesn’t extend subsidies and thus allows premiums to skyrocket for millions of Americans, Republicans will have made it even clearer that this is what they fought so hard for. They will be recorded on the issue even more forcefully when the Senate holds a separate vote on the subsidies.

If that measure were to somehow pass, it could pressure House Speaker Mike Johnson to allow a House vote as well.

(Johnson did not answer questions at a news conference Monday morning, but has previously declined to promise such a vote, as Senate Majority Leader John Thune has promised.)

While Democrats want these tax credits to be extended from a public policy standpoint, one could