Politics
NEW: Several Top Democrat Lawmakers, Pundits Rage Over Shutdown Deal
Multiple prominent left-wing politicians and pundits — including several presidential hopefuls — melted down on Sunday night after multiple Senate Democrats announced that they had reached a deal to re-open the government this week, thus ending the longest shutdown in U.S. history without securing their key demands.
At least 10 Senate Democrats are expected to support a procedural motion to advance a package of spending bills and a short term funding measure through the end of January, multiple sources from both parties told Axios. Under the terms of the deal, Republicans will agree to hold a vote on the extension of Affordable Care Act (ACA) credits in December, which will require 60 votes to pass.
An extension of the credits — which are due to expire under the terms of the Democrats’ own reconciliation package from 2022 — were a massive sticking point for the party and described by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) as the party’s main source of leverage.
As a result of the credits not being guaranteed under the terms of the deal, several prominent Democrats took to social media to rage at Schumer for “caving” to Republicans and squandering perceived leverage.
“This is not a deal — it’s an empty promise,” Illinois Governor JB Pritzker posted on X. “Trump and his Republican Congress are making healthcare more expensive for the middle class and ending it for working families. Time for Democrats to stand tall for affordable healthcare.”
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), another prominent Democrat linked to a potential 2028 campaign, also voiced her dissatisfaction with the shutdown deal. “People want us to hold the line for a reason. This is not a matter of appealing to a base. It’s about people’s lives,” she wrote. “Working people want leaders whose word means something.”
Hasan Piker, a far-left streamer and known dog abuser who said America deserved 9/11, also ranted about how Democrats are failing to stop “secret police forces” from “kidnapping” illegal aliens. “YOU ARE THE LEADER OF THE PARTY EVERYONE KNOWS YOU LET THE ROTATING VILLIANS CONCEDE W BASICALLY NOTHING BECAUSE YOURE OLD AND FEEBLE AND DONT CARE ABOUT ANYTHING, YOU COULDNT EVEN MAKE THE LEFT PRO ISRAEL (YOUR LIVES MISSION) EVEN THE BAILEYS HATE YOU! RESIGN NOW!!!!!” he wrote in one post addressed to Schumer.
On MSNBC, multiple panelists seethed over the deal during Sunday’s installment of “The Weekend Primetime.”
“I have a lot more questions than answers. I don’t know why Senate Democrats are going along so hard for a date promised in the future. It looks like they’re settling for something that is six weeks down the line… I don’t get it,” remarked one panelist.
“I would say it doesn’t feel like a gentleman’s agreement. It feels like Lucy in the football. You know, it’s like, ‘oh, yeah, we promised this vote. Alright… whoops,'” said another.
Some elected Democrats even went so far as to call for Minority Leader Schumer to be replaced immediately.
“Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced. If you can’t lead the fight to stop healthcare premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?” U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) posted on X
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) also criticized the deal. “I don’t think that the House Democratic Caucus is prepared to support a promise, a wing and a prayer, from folks who have been devastating the health care of the American people for years,” he said.
