The longest government shutdown in United States history ended late Wednesday when President Donald Trump signed a funding bill that Republicans pushed through the House with the support of six Democrats. The final 222 to 209 vote closed a confrontation that had revolved around expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits and a budget package that included significant Medicaid cuts. For Democrats who began the standoff insisting the shutdown provided leverage to address a growing healthcare crisis, the final agreement offered no extension of ACA subsidies and preserved the earlier cuts.
The turning point came over the weekend when eight members of the Senate Democratic caucus broke from their party and backed a deal to reopen the government, a move described as occurring “with the tacit blessing of Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.” Their votes ensured that the funding legislation advanced without any guarantee to extend the ACA subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued one of the strongest responses to the final agreement. “Premiums will double for an additional 20 million Americans under this so-called deal. Tens of thousands of people will die unnecessarily every year because of these extreme Medicaid cuts and skyrocketing healthcare costs,” said Tlaib. She added, “Our for-profit healthcare system is already broken, and instead of holding the line and fighting for healthcare as a human right, enough Democrats chose to roll over and make this affordability crisis worse.” She dismissed the Senate GOP’s pledge to hold a vote on ACA tax credits next month, calling it “a worthless stunt that has no chance of being signed into law—if it’s even taken up.” Tlaib argued that “The American people want us to fight back, not cave to Donald Trump for absolutely nothing in return.”
Six House Democrats joined Republicans to pass the shutdown bill: Reps. Henry Cuellar, Don Davis, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Jared Golden, Adam Gray, and Tom Suozzi. The Congressional Progressive Caucus voted unanimously against the measure. While Democratic leaders attempted to frame the outcome as a way to move the healthcare debate forward, progressives emphasized the loss of concrete protections for millions of Americans.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, deputy chair of the Progressive Caucus, said after the vote that “the public rightly recognizes that Trump and congressional Republicans are to blame for the longest government shutdown in history, exploding healthcare costs, and the cruel and needless punishment of 42 million Americans receiving nutrition support.” She added that “The American people stood with Democrats as we stood firm and fought for Americans’ right to healthcare.” Omar highlighted the stakes for families who rely on subsidized coverage, saying, “Over the past two months, Progressive Caucus members sounded the alarm on behalf of Americans in districts across the country who won’t be able to afford their insulin or chemotherapy due to the Republicans’ healthcare crisis.” She concluded, “As this shutdown ends, we are more committed than ever to the fight for healthcare as a human right.”
Tensions within the Democratic Party broadened as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized not only the senators who broke ranks but the party leadership that oversaw the negotiations. Speaking to CNN’s Manu Raju, she said, “I think it’s important that we understand that this is not just about Sen. Schumer, but that this is about the Democratic Party. Sen. Schumer—there’s no one vote that ended this shutdown. We are talking about a coordinated effort of eight senators, with the knowledge of Leader Schumer, voting to break with the entire Democratic Party in exchange for nothing.”
Her comments underscored a wider frustration with the party’s strategic direction. In a separate exchange recorded by C-SPAN, she said, “I think what is so important for folks to understand is that this problem is bigger than one person, and it actually is bigger than the minority leader in the Senate.” She added, “You had eight Senate Democrats who coordinated… their own votes on this.”
Ocasio-Cortez emphasized that many of the senators who backed the deal will not face voters for years. She noted that some appear to be betting that “people are going to forget this moment.” She argued that the conversation must expand beyond leadership to the broader choices made by the caucus. “I think what’s important is that we understand that… a leader is a reflection of the party. And Senate Democrats have selected their leadership to represent them,” she said. She pointed to the significance of upcoming primaries, adding, “We have several Senate primaries this cycle.”
Pressure from within the party continued to grow, with comments compiled by The Hill showing House Democrats such as Reps. Glenn Ivey, Ro Khanna, Mike Levin, Seth Moulton, Ayanna Pressley, Mark Pocan, Delia Ramirez, Shri Thanedar, and Rashida Tlaib calling for new leadership or major strategic changes in the Senate.
While some Democrats argued that the standoff succeeded in elevating healthcare as a central national issue, the final agreement left major policy questions unresolved. Sen. Chris Murphy, who voted against the deal, said “the silver lining of that agreement is that the issue doesn’t disappear.” But for millions of people whose ACA premiums are set to rise, and for those affected by Medicaid cuts, the consequences are immediate.
Trump, after signing the bill, quickly declared victory and encouraged voters to punish Democrats in the 2026 midterms. Polling earlier this month found that most voters blamed Trump and congressional Republicans for the shutdown, but Democratic divisions over the final deal have complicated the political landscape.
Progressives warn that the Democratic Party surrendered its leverage at the precise moment when families facing high healthcare costs needed federal action the most. The shutdown is over, but the conflict inside the party over how to confront a healthcare crisis is likely to define the months ahead.
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