Two days after Democrats celebrated sweeping victories in state elections, internal divisions have deepened over how to end the ongoing government shutdown, now in its sixth week and the longest in U.S. history.
The standoff centers on the fate of key Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies set to expire at year’s end. Progressive lawmakers are pushing to keep the government closed until Republicans agree to extend the health insurance subsidies, while moderates seek a way to reopen federal agencies without such a commitment.
Progressive Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont urged Democrats to stand firm, warning against accepting any deal without concrete guarantees. “If they cave now and go forward with a meaningless vote, I think it will be a horrible policy decision,” Sanders told reporters. “When we fight, we win. When you cave, you lose.”
However, moderate Democrats such as Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon have remained cautious, saying their focus is on preventing Americans from losing health coverage. “My red line is those people losing health care,” Wyden said.
Republicans have offered no sign of compromise. House Speaker Mike Johnson rejected a request from Senate negotiators to ensure a vote on the subsidies, saying, “I’m not promising anybody anything.” Senate Democrats have repeatedly blocked the House-passed resolution that would reopen the government without addressing health care provisions.
President Donald Trump acknowledged that the shutdown had hurt Republicans in recent elections, calling it a “big factor, negative” in their losses—a statement Democrats seized on as evidence that pressure is mounting on the GOP. “Donald Trump clearly is feeling pressure to bring this shutdown to an end,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said. “Well, I have good news for the president: meet with Democrats, reopen the government.”
The shutdown’s toll on public services continues to grow. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced plans to cut air traffic by 10% across 40 major markets due to staffing shortages, warning of widespread travel delays. Federal workers have missed multiple paychecks, and food assistance programs remain frozen.
Republicans are planning another vote on a temporary funding measure that would reopen the government and allow a future vote on the ACA subsidies, but Democrats say it lacks real guarantees. Some lawmakers have also floated a proposal to reinstate federal employees dismissed during the shutdown and provide back pay, an idea that could become part of a broader reopening deal.
Despite growing frustration, progressives insist on holding firm. “We are winning the hearts and minds of the American people,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. But others, including Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, warned against political overreach. “We love to overplay our hands,” he said. “That doesn’t mean we’ve changed the dynamic in D.C.”
As talks stall and the FAA prepares for another weekend of disruptions, millions of Americans remain caught in the political deadlock that has paralyzed Washington.