After 43 days, the longest US government shutdown in history is coming to an end. Federal workers will start receiving pay again. National Parks will reopen. Government services that had been curtailed or suspended entirely will resume. Air travel, which had become a nightmare for many Americans, will return to being merely frustrating.
After the dust settles and the ink from President Donald Trump's signature on the funding bill dries, what has this record-setting shutdown accomplished? And what has it cost?
Senate Democrats, through their use of the parliamentary filibuster, were able to trigger the shutdown despite being a minority in the chamber by refusing to go along with a Republican measure to temporarily fund the government. They drew a line in the sand, demanding that the Republicans agree to extend health insurance subsidies for low-income Americans that are set to expire at the end of the year.
When a handful of Democrats broke ranks to vote to reopen the government on Sunday, they received next to nothing in return – a promise of a vote in the Senate on the subsidies, but no guarantees of Republican support or even a necessary vote in the House of Representatives.
Since then, members of the party's left flank have been furious. They've accused Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer – who didn't vote for the funding bill – of being secretly complicit in the reopening plan or simply incompetent. They've felt like their party folded even after off-year election success showed they had the upper hand. They feared that the shutdown sacrifices had been for nothing.
Even more mainstream Democrats, like California's Governor Gavin Newsom, called the shutdown deal 'pathetic' and a 'surrender'. Governor Newsom, who has 2028 presidential ambitions, expressed dissatisfaction with how the situation was handled, indicating that frustration is brewing among the party's leadership.
For Trump, his mood shifted from cautious optimism to outright celebration following the resolution of the shutdown. He congratulated congressional Republicans and called the vote to reopen the government 'a very big victory'. Trump pointed out at a Veteran's Day commemoration that the country should never have been closed, emphasizing that they are now 'opening up our country.'
Despite some initial stumbling during the shutdown, Trump ultimately did not have to make many compromises. As the shutdown ends, Congress will resume its work, with Republicans hopeful to pass significant legislation before the next election cycle. However, the unresolved issues regarding healthcare subsidies may re-emerge as a pressing concern for many Americans, presenting a challenge for both parties in the future.
After the dust settles and the ink from President Donald Trump's signature on the funding bill dries, what has this record-setting shutdown accomplished? And what has it cost?
Senate Democrats, through their use of the parliamentary filibuster, were able to trigger the shutdown despite being a minority in the chamber by refusing to go along with a Republican measure to temporarily fund the government. They drew a line in the sand, demanding that the Republicans agree to extend health insurance subsidies for low-income Americans that are set to expire at the end of the year.
When a handful of Democrats broke ranks to vote to reopen the government on Sunday, they received next to nothing in return – a promise of a vote in the Senate on the subsidies, but no guarantees of Republican support or even a necessary vote in the House of Representatives.
Since then, members of the party's left flank have been furious. They've accused Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer – who didn't vote for the funding bill – of being secretly complicit in the reopening plan or simply incompetent. They've felt like their party folded even after off-year election success showed they had the upper hand. They feared that the shutdown sacrifices had been for nothing.
Even more mainstream Democrats, like California's Governor Gavin Newsom, called the shutdown deal 'pathetic' and a 'surrender'. Governor Newsom, who has 2028 presidential ambitions, expressed dissatisfaction with how the situation was handled, indicating that frustration is brewing among the party's leadership.
For Trump, his mood shifted from cautious optimism to outright celebration following the resolution of the shutdown. He congratulated congressional Republicans and called the vote to reopen the government 'a very big victory'. Trump pointed out at a Veteran's Day commemoration that the country should never have been closed, emphasizing that they are now 'opening up our country.'
Despite some initial stumbling during the shutdown, Trump ultimately did not have to make many compromises. As the shutdown ends, Congress will resume its work, with Republicans hopeful to pass significant legislation before the next election cycle. However, the unresolved issues regarding healthcare subsidies may re-emerge as a pressing concern for many Americans, presenting a challenge for both parties in the future.
