As Democrats are breathing a sigh of relief after surviving the longest government shutdown in US history, a disturbing reality is unfolding. Seven moderate senators and one independent senator have dealt a significant blow to their coalition's momentum by accepting a Republican deal that fails to address several key issues.
The deal may have secured funding for the government, but it falls far short of what Democrats were fighting for: an extension to the Biden-era federal subsidies on Affordable Care Act health plans. These subsidies, which will expire at the end of the year, will force big rises in insurance premiums for approximately 20 million Americans.
What's particularly galling is that Republicans have consistently shown a callous disregard for these subsidies and their impact on millions of Americans. During the shutdown, Trump and Republicans went to court to deny SNAP funds that were sitting in a contingency account, leaving vulnerable communities to struggle.
The Republican strategy throughout the shutdown was to turn up the pain dial, laying off furloughed federal workers, fighting the courts to avoid funding food stamps, and crippling the country's air traffic control system. This has been widely recognized by people, which is why Trump's approval ratings are down, and Republicans are losing elections.
The lesson for Democrats here is that they took a high-leverage, high-risk strategy that paid off before more risk-averse members of the caucus called it quits. The Republican approach to governance is clear: they have no qualms about holding millions of Americans' lives and livelihoods hostage in increasingly dire conditions.
It's crucial to acknowledge that this shutdown put ACA health care subsidies front and center in the national conversation, giving a voice to millions of Americans who are already seeing how their health insurance costs will rise. It highlighted with stark clarity how little Republicans care about these issues.
Ultimately, the decision by moderate Democrats to accept this deal will be seen as a missed opportunity. The risk-averse members of the caucus may have avoided a bruising defeat, but they also denied their party the chance to demonstrate its commitment to addressing these critical issues.
The future of US politics remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: Republicans' callous disregard for vulnerable communities and their willingness to use government shutdowns as leverage will only become more pronounced if Democrats fail to stand up to them.
The deal may have secured funding for the government, but it falls far short of what Democrats were fighting for: an extension to the Biden-era federal subsidies on Affordable Care Act health plans. These subsidies, which will expire at the end of the year, will force big rises in insurance premiums for approximately 20 million Americans.
What's particularly galling is that Republicans have consistently shown a callous disregard for these subsidies and their impact on millions of Americans. During the shutdown, Trump and Republicans went to court to deny SNAP funds that were sitting in a contingency account, leaving vulnerable communities to struggle.
The Republican strategy throughout the shutdown was to turn up the pain dial, laying off furloughed federal workers, fighting the courts to avoid funding food stamps, and crippling the country's air traffic control system. This has been widely recognized by people, which is why Trump's approval ratings are down, and Republicans are losing elections.
The lesson for Democrats here is that they took a high-leverage, high-risk strategy that paid off before more risk-averse members of the caucus called it quits. The Republican approach to governance is clear: they have no qualms about holding millions of Americans' lives and livelihoods hostage in increasingly dire conditions.
It's crucial to acknowledge that this shutdown put ACA health care subsidies front and center in the national conversation, giving a voice to millions of Americans who are already seeing how their health insurance costs will rise. It highlighted with stark clarity how little Republicans care about these issues.
Ultimately, the decision by moderate Democrats to accept this deal will be seen as a missed opportunity. The risk-averse members of the caucus may have avoided a bruising defeat, but they also denied their party the chance to demonstrate its commitment to addressing these critical issues.
The future of US politics remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: Republicans' callous disregard for vulnerable communities and their willingness to use government shutdowns as leverage will only become more pronounced if Democrats fail to stand up to them.
they kinda messed themselves over by accepting that deal 
i mean, they were so focused on not being the ones who caused a shutdown that they forgot about their own party's values 
and now those moderate senators are basically saying "hey, we're good with a measly $15b in subsidies when 20mil ppl are gonna get crushed 
it's a bummer tho, bc i think the repubs were being super unfair to vulnerable communities 
but at the end of the day, it's dems who got played by their own risk-averse caucus 
just sold out on the ACA subsidies... like, what's the point of even having a party if you're not gonna fight for your principles? And Republicans are literally laughing all the way to the bank 
. If you're not willing to take a stand for what's right, then maybe you shouldn't be in politics. I mean, it's not like it's easy or anything 
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. It's all about playing politics and looking good on the surface, but nobody really cares about the actual people being affected 
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like, what were they thinking?! this is a huge blow to their party's momentum and it shows that republicans are really playing dirty games with people's lives 
. I mean, Trump and his crew were literally fighting in court to deny SNAP funds during the shutdown... like, what's next? Holding people's health insurance plans hostage too? 
. Republicans are just going to keep pushing the envelope, and if Democrats don't start speaking truth to power, we're in for a world of hurt 
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this shutdown has been a wild ride, but what's really worrying me is the fact that moderate democrats caved in 
. And now those 20 million Americans are gonna be hit with huge premium increases 
. It's like, where was the fight for them? Republicans have been super clear about not caring about these issues, but it still hurts that the Democrats didn't push back more 
I'm so frustrated about this latest deal! 
The fact that moderate Dems are willing to compromise on such a key issue is just sad 
. The shutdown was a disaster, but at least it brought attention to the issue 
. Now it seems like moderate Dems just gave up 
#ShutDownTheNegotiations #StandUpForACA #ProtectVulnerableCommunities
? I mean, it forced people to take notice of these issues and made them an part of the national conversation. And let's be real, the Republicans' strategy of "letting the pain dial get up" is just a fancy way of saying they're not willing to negotiate 
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. It's clear who's been holding people hostage here 
they gotta step it up or risk losing control of the narrative 20 million ppl are gonna be stuck with higher insurance premiums 
. We need more folks in politics who care about people's lives, not just lining up with party interests 
And those moderates are like, "Okay, fine, I guess that's better than nothing..."