All for nothing. A handful of Democrats sink the ship.

The record-setting 40-day government shutdown has just concluded. Democrats had staunchly stood firm, demanding a renewal of the Affordable Care Act’s tax credits as a condition for approving the federal budget. Democrats were winning the budget battle on many fronts, but a select handful managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

As the shutdown dragged on, Democrats were posting wins. Public opinion was on their side, with approval ratings for Donald Trump falling to just 37%, a new low not yet seen during this term. A substantial “blue wave” had just swept through the 2025 elections. However minor the mid-cycle elections were, they finally provided some wind behind the ailing Democrats’ sails.

It was striking that these wins came despite the absolute lack of charisma from Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, whose superpower seems to be putting people to sleep.

Yes, there was a real human toll. Federal workers were furloughed without pay. There was huge uncertainty about whether SNAP recipients would get their November payments. But the straw that broke the camel’s back appears to have been the FAA’s move to slow down air travel – you know, something that affects the well-to-do.

Just then, before the cut in flights could even get into full swing, a handful of Democrats shot their party in the foot.

For the record, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries did an amazing job doing what Chuck Schumer couldn’t – explaining to the American people in clear terms what Democrats were fighting for:

It’s a shame that Democrats in the Senate don’t have a leader who can speak so bluntly to the American people.

“Standing up to Trump didn’t work”

After reaching an agreement with Trump and Senate Republicans, Senator Angus King of Maine took to the podium to tell the American public that he acquiesced because “standing up to Trump didn’t work.” This was an act of self-sabotage that dooms any future efforts by Democrats to counter Trump and the Republicans.

That statement broadcast loud and clear that Trump will never need to meet Democrats in the middle. He can stand his group, harm the people he’s supposed to be serving, and know that at least a few Democrats will bend to his will as a result.

The Democrats who failed us

Apart from Angus King, the Democrats who broke with Schumer’s ineffectual leadership were:

• John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who has broken with the parties’ message so many times in recent years, once has to wonder why he bother caucusing with the Democrats anymore.
• Tim Kaine of Virginia, The same Tim Kaine that was Hillary Clintons running mate in 2016 and who campaigned vigorously for the Affordable Care Act at the time
• Dick Durbin of Illinois, the majority whip in for Democrats in the United States Senate, gave up because of Republican retaliations saying that “Republicans finally woke up and realized their Groundhog Day needed to end. This bill is not perfect, but it takes important steps to reduce their shutdown’s hurt”.
• Jean Shaheen of New Hampshire who said “negotiations with Republicans have made clear that they will not address health care as part of shutdown talks—waiting longer will only prolong the pain Americans are feeling because of the shutdown.”
• Maggie Hassan, also of New Hampshire, who gave in solely because of Trump reprisals, saying she was in favor of reaching an agreement because it “funds SNAP and food assistance programs, ensures that law enforcement, air traffic controllers, and other federal workers get paid, reverses the President’s recent reckless layoffs and prevents them from happening in the future”
• Catherine Cortez Mast of Nevada who also cited the damage Trump was causing by saying “If Republicans want to join us in lowering costs for working families, they have the chance to do so. And if they do not come to the table, they will own the premium increases they cause”. This is a price Republicans seem eager to pay.
• Jacky Rosen of Nevada took that same road, saying “President Trump and Washington Republicans are weaponizing their power in alarming ways,” while adding the ineffectual demand that “Senate Republicans need to work with us in a bipartisan way before the next deadline“.

What did they accomplish?

Short answer: Almost nothing at all.

Democrats brought Donald Trump’s weaponization of the SNAP program to an end. It’s true that this was critical, but there were cases rushing through the court system with a high likelihood of success. Don’t forget that there were contingency funds AND Trumps willingness to utilize tariff revenues to continue paying projects that he approved of. It’s very possible that losing hunger as leverage could have been what bought Republicans to the table.

Rather than obtaining an extension the Affordable Care Acts tax credits enshrined in the Federal Budget, they “won” the right to draft the legislation that the Senate will debate and vote over in December. Legislation that, even if it cleared the Senate by some miracle, will be shot down by Mike Johnsons House of Representatives.

An agreement that there will be no more Federal workforce reductions through the end of the calendar year. Not through the end of winter or for a fixed one-year period. But for one and a half months. That’s hardly anything.

And lastly, an assurance that Federal employees who were furloughed will receive full back pay. As this is already enshrined in law, the degree of this “win” is debatable.

Why none of this is good

Forty days of pain, pressure, and perseverance were wasted. The shutdown ended in surrender. Democrats had fought hard to win leverage, the public’s support, and the moral high ground. But instead of holding the line, a handful of them folded, and in doing so, taught Trump and his allies that Democratic unity is only skin-deep. We’ll all pay the price for this over the next three years.