There is one point on which many who are angrythe 8 senators from the Democratic caucus who gave in to the closure go silent. Republicans wanted a year of government funding. Congressional Republicans have floated the idea of funding the government for three years.
Republicans in the House and Senate ultimately secured 81 days of funding.
That’s it. Eighty-one days, which isn’t even three months.
No one will say it out loud, but I deeply suspect that the eight Democrats talked themselves into giving in because they didn’t want the shutdown to last through the holidays.
These eight Democrats didn’t want chaos at airports over Thanksgiving weekend. They didn’t want stories about federal employees unable to buy Christmas gifts or families receiving their Christmas meals from food banks. News flash for these Democrats: Due to high food prices, many families who receive SNAP also have to rely on food banks in order to get enough food to survive.
The “deal” reached by the eight Democratic senators funded SNAP for a year and ensured a Senate vote on reinstating Obamacare subsidies.
The problem is that the agreement does not include the House.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told Scripps News:
NEW: Majority Leader Sen. THUNE tells Scrippsnews he has NOT spoken to President Johnson “recently” about whether the House would vote on a Senate bill to extend ACA subsidies. THUNE: “My commitment was to have this vote here, and they will have to figure out what to do in the House…”
Eight Democratic senators sold out 24 million Americans on health care to get a vote that won’t happen in either the House or Senate.
Despite all the dramatic conclusions drawn by some, it is important to remember that the fight is far from over.
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