Several Democrats have spoken out against their colleagues after they advanced a deal to end the record-breaking 40-day government shutdown. Seven Democrats and one independent voted with Republicans in the Senate late Sunday to end the shutdown, which left federal workers without pay for more than a month.
Responding to the deal, John Fetterman, a Democratic Senator from Pennsylvania, wrote on X:
“After 40 days as a consistent voice against shutting our government down, I voted YES for the 15th time to REOPEN. I’m sorry to our military, SNAP recipients, gov workers, and Capitol Police who haven’t been paid in weeks. It should’ve never come to this. This was a failure.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office described the deal as “pathetic,” adding:
“This isn’t a deal. It’s a surrender. Don’t bend the knee!”
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X:
“The average monthly SNAP benefit is $177 a person. The average ACA benefit is up to $550 a person/mo. People want us to hold the line for a reason. This is not a matter of appealing to a base. It’s about people’s lives. Working people want leaders whose word means something.”
### What to Know
The new deal funds three annual spending bills and extends remaining government funding through to the end of January. It also includes promises from Republicans to hold a vote on the expiring healthcare subsidies by mid-December.
Democrats had wanted an extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits expiring on January 1, which make health insurance affordable for millions of Americans.
The eight senators who voted with Republicans in favor of the deal were:
– Tim Kaine, Democrat, Virginia
– Catharine Cortez Masto, Democrat, Nevada
– John Fetterman, Democrat, Pennsylvania
– Maggie Hassan, Democrat, New Hampshire
– Dick Durbin, Democrat, Illinois
– Angus King, Independent, Maine
– Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat, New Hampshire
– Jacky Rosen, Democrat, Nevada
Shaheen, Hassan, and King helped broker the deal.
This is a developing story. More to follow.
https://www.newsweek.com/government-shutdown-deal-civil-war-breaks-out-democrats-pathetic-john-fetterman-gavin-newsom-11019626