The Democrats were furious Monday over eight senators who caved to support a deal to end the government shutdown that does not include the Affordable Care Act subsidies their party had spent weeks fighting for.

The offending lawmakers include Democratic Senators Dick Durbin, Tim Kaine, Jacky Rosen, John Fetterman, Catherine Cortez Masto, Maggie Hassan, Jeanne Shaheen, and independent Senator Angus King, who claimed that they’d ensured a Senate vote on extending the tax credits. Their capitulation comes after House Speaker Mike Johnson insisted for weeks that he wouldn’t promise them a vote on anything, and even if he does follow through with a vote, it’s unlikely such a measure will pass the House.

Democratic lawmakers slammed their colleagues for forfeiting health care coverage for an estimated 5.1 million Americans by 2034 and increasing premiums across the marketplace.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders railed against the deal while speaking before the Senate Sunday. “If this vote succeeds, over 20 million Americans are gonna see at least a doubling in their premiums in the Affordable Care Act,” he said. “For certain groups of people, it will be a tripling and a quadrupling of their premiums. There are people who will now be paying 50 percent of their limited incomes for health care. Does anybody in the world think that makes sense?”

  • Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works
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    2 days ago

    That’s a couple of fucking enormous ifs you’re basing your dreams on. In all my days, and I’m very old, a party caving while they had the support of the voters but the minority in Congress has never worked out.

    • danc4498@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      In all your days had a government shutdown ever resulted in anything substantial?

      • Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works
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        1 day ago

        Substantial yes, but not necessarily good. One enabled Reagan to get the Contras funded,one helped Bush lower taxes on the wealthy, another led to Clinton’s reelection…

        In general the population has blamed Republicans for causing shutdowns, through history, but Democrats have repeatedly caved on them without attaining their goals.

        I sincerely hope this one brings about the end of Schumer’s career.