Copyright The Philadelphia Inquirer
It is easy to say the Democrats blinked and got nothing in return for agreeing to end the historic government shutdown. On its face, that is true. But Sen. John Fetterman, the Pennsylvania Democrat who was one of the eight senators who caved, is wrong to claim the shutdown was a failure. The Democrats were right to make a stand to preserve the Affordable Care Act subsidies to stave off steep increases in health insurance premiums. By refusing to negotiate, President Donald Trump and the Republicans under his thumb showed they do not care about average Americans. Trump remained unengaged throughout the longest government shutdown ever. Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) abdicated any leadership as he sent the Republican House members home. For more than 40 days, Americans were largely left on their own as the government remained closed. The pain rippled across the country, as more than 600,000 federal workers were furloughed, 42 million low-income Americans lost food assistance, and chaos ensued at airports. » READ MORE: Trump’s tariffs face a skeptical Supreme Court, but only Congress can end the chaos | Editorial While Americans suffered, Trump left the country for two weeks, demolished the East Wing of the White House to build a $300 million ballroom, renovated the Lincoln bathroom in marble, gave Argentina a $20 billion bailout, hosted a Great Gatsby-themed party for rich friends at Mar-a-Lago, indiscriminately blew up small boats, and bragged about mass government layoffs and cuts to so-called Democrat programs. Trump’s indifference — to a country in distress, to those in need of help — was encapsulated last week as he stood with his back to a man who passed out in the Oval Office. As others rushed to render aid, the president stared ahead blankly, ignoring the emergency. With Trump checked out, the shutdown began to take its toll. Rather than risk further pain and suffering — and the potential for catastrophe from overstressed airlines — eight Democrats joined the 52 Senate Republicans to vote to fund most federal agencies through January. The measure must still pass the House. Reopening the government will get Washington back to what passes for normal these days, but it will not solve the problem of skyrocketing premiums for millions of people — including more than half who live in red states — who get health insurance through the ACA, also known as Obamacare. Many are rightly mad at the eight Democrats who broke ranks and gave in. Capitulating to Trump will only further embolden his authoritarian ways. Last week’s election showed that voters are fed up with Trump’s chaotic, cruel, and corrupt governing. Rather than more internal party squabbling, the Democrats would be wise to continue to make the case that they want to solve problems for average families and make America more affordable again. » READ MORE: A bright night for democracy as voters repudiate Trump’s scorched-earth policies | Editorial The shutdown underscored clear policy differences between the two political parties. Trump and the Republicans do not care about everyday Americans, let alone the most vulnerable. Nor are they interested in compromise, solving problems, reducing costs, providing affordable healthcare, or even feeding the poor. What Trump and the GOP stand for was contained in the Big Beautiful Bill: tax cuts for corporations and wealthy individuals — all paid for by piling on trillions more debt for future generations. Trump is here to serve Trump. The brazen pocket lining in just a few months includes $40 million to his wife from Amazon, a free jet from a foreign country, shakedowns of media companies, free prime real estate for his presidential library, hundreds of millions from the government for legal bills stemming from his past criminal indictments, and billions in murky family crypto deals. Meanwhile, Trump’s tariffs and other policies, including mass deportations, are hurting Americans by increasing food prices, driving up energy bills, hammering farmers, fueling inflation, undermining consumer confidence, and spurring mass layoffs. Democrats may have lost the shutdown battle, but the fight for a more perfect union continues.
