Copyright Baltimore Sun
As citizens of the United States cautiously breathe a sigh of relief as members of both parties in Congress compromise to reopen the U.S. government, Maryland Democrats continue to dig in on the same partisan antics that frustrate Americans. The government shutdown ramped up political tensions in Washington, D.C., inviting partisan performative politics on a scale we haven’t witnessed since the arrest of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. From creepy social media stunts to manipulative photo ops disguised as press conferences, Maryland Democrats fully immersed themselves in their roles, following the theatrical scripts provided by the national Democratic Party. Maryland residents remain unamused by the performance. From the beginning, Maryland Democrats approached this shutdown from the absurd premise that exploiting the pain and uncertainty of American citizens was a sustainable means of accomplishing legislative goals. At the core of their argument is that the rapid escalation of health care premium costs justifies their brutal tactics. The expiration of enhanced (un)Affordable Care Act subsidies is the intended consequence of the American Rescue Plan Act, passed by a Democratic president, a Democratic-controlled Senate and a Democratic-controlled House. The provisions were further extended into 2025 by the comically misnamed Inflation Reduction Act. The sunset provisions for these ACA enhanced subsidies were not merely incidental but vital to the legality of passing these laws. The merit of these expensive subsidies was always supposed to be examined, debated and passed through Congress in normal civic procedures. Even as a brave group of Democratic senators worked toward a compromise to reopen the government with a bipartisan agreement, Maryland Democrats desperately clung to the flotsam of hyper-partisanship that has infuriated Americans across the board. Recent polling suggests that while roughly half of Americans (52%) blamed Republicans and President Donald Trump for the shutdown, ire for the Democrats wasn’t far behind, with 42% blaming the party. It is no coincidence that Democrats in the Senate came to the table offering terms. Such a close margin of blame makes it clear that the Democratic strategy of using the shutdown as “leverage” was ill-fated from the start. Yes, Republicans refused to negotiate subsidies — but Democrats built the very cliff America approaches. Despite clear signs of political defeat, Maryland U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks brazenly voted against the bipartisan measure — even amid fatigued federal workers not getting paid, social safety nets being threatened and crippling flight delays and cancellations. Maryland Democrats seemed committed to going down with the ship. The desperation was not only evident in the Senate but even among Maryland’s members of the House of Representatives, including Congressman Johnny Olszewski, who was quick to telegraph his intention to remain firmly in his partisan camp on shutdown negotiations. His position was particularly ironic, since in a previous iteration of this debate he called for similar terms offered by this compromise legislation: opening the government with a commitment to voting on funding matters like the ACA enhanced subsidies. The eight Democrats in the Senate who rightly grasp the profound gravity of this situation have chosen to set aside their partisan loyalties and focus on the broader well-being of the nation. It is a shame that they will find no support from their Maryland colleagues. Maryland is a purple state. The wild popularity of former Republican Governor Larry Hogan should have been a clear indicator to Maryland’s senators and representatives that the best way to represent this state would be to show bipartisan leadership. Instead of capturing the optimism and enthusiasm of the Hogan era of bipartisanship, Maryland Democrats drag the rest of us kicking and screaming back into the sludge of hyper-partisan politics. Democratic Governor Wes Moore pours lighter fluid on the situation with a brazen threat to eliminate the one Republican voice in the entire Maryland delegation. Democratic legislators double down on partisanship, offering no support for their courageous bipartisan colleagues. Whether it is a brazen pursuit of self-interest or fear of well-organized radical progressive leftists, Maryland’s absence from the national platform of bipartisanship is disappointing. During the Hogan era, Maryland finally found some level of hope that our state doesn’t need to fall into the quagmire of zero-sum politics. In his absence, a hyper-partisan governor and congressional delegation remind us all of the exact things we do not want in politics. With any luck, our representatives and governor will take note, phone up Hogan, and ask for some advice — for the sake of all of us in Maryland who hope for a brighter, less partisan future.
