After Senate Democrats joined Republicans to advance a government funding bill late Sunday night, fellow party members — and possible 2028 presidential hopefuls — unleashed a torrent of criticism.
Democrats held the line for more than six weeks to extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies, leading to the longest government shutdown in history. But eight senators — seven Democrats and Angus King of Maine, an independent who caucuses with Democrats — broke ranks Sunday.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., previously offered to give Democrats a vote on the expiring subsidies after the government was reopened. But there is no official guarantee a vote will be held on the matter — which Democrats reportedly eyeing the nation’s highest office have been quick to point out:
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who ran for the White House in 2020, called it “a bad deal. Everyday life — making it better and more affordable — must always be our bottom line.”
Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona — who was among the prominent Democrats who recently helped Reps. Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger successfully campaign for governor in New Jersey and Virginia, respectively — called the compromise “a show.”
“There’s a phrase in Spanish, ‘Con salud, lo hay todo; sin salud, no hay nada,’” Gallego wrote on X. “It means ‘With good health you have it all; without your health, you have nothing.’”
Rep. Ro Khanna, who is leading the charge on a discharge petition to force a vote to release all of the government’s files related to Jeffrey Epstein, called for the ouster of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer: “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?”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who ran for president in 2020, said she voted against the budget bill “because it does not prevent health insurance premiums from doubling for so many Americans. The President and Congressional Republicans should have come to the table to work with us to lower these costs.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, considered a serious contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, called the move to advance the funding bill “pathetic” and lambasted the senators who defected, writing on X, “America deserves better.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose name has also been floated for the party’s nomination, said the deal lets down all constituents, not just registered Democrats. “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. Working people want leaders whose word means something,” she wrote on X. Said Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who has locked horns with the Trump administration over immigration raids and the surge of federal forces in Chicago, “This is not a deal — it’s an empty promise.” Sen. Elissa Slotkin from the swing state of Michigan also reaffirmed her decision to vote “no” on a deal to reopen the government. She posted to social media, “Since July, I have been clear: to earn my vote, Republicans would have to do something to bring down the cost of health care for working and middle-class Michiganders. The promise of a vote in over a month does not meet that threshold.”
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter and producer for MS NOW. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.
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