Following an extended period of perceived unchecked actions by the White House, Lawmaking Democrats have found a battlefield where they believe they can successfully oppose Republican policies.
When pressed to support a GOP-backed proposal to fund the government through late fall, Democrats declined, alternatively presenting a list of requirements that would undo several key Republican achievements from the past year.
This move was unacceptable for Republicans, and after days of intense discussion and fruitless balloting, the government entered a shutdown in the early hours of midweek. From their perspective, this may represent a calculated chance to reestablish their argument with American voters after suffering setbacks in the last balloting.
"We are engaged in a just fight. No other fight better than the current situation," stated Senator Elizabeth Warren during a live stream with fellow Democratic senators just prior to the last roll calls on the night before the shutdown.
Healthcare at the Core of the Opposition Demands
On the surface, the party are fighting to defend medical coverage, a traditional priority for their base. They are demanding the cancellation of Medicaid reductions earlier approved by Republicans, along with extended subsidies for insurance policies under the Affordable Care Act, reinstated financial support for public media, and a prohibition on what they term backdoor attempts to reduce foreign aid.
Broader Strategic Background
However, the conflict also reflects a intent to confront a president viewed as uniquely dangerous at a moment when he may be electorally weakened. Public support for the president are submerged, worse than those of his preceding president at the equivalent stage in his tenure. Inflation persist unchecked despite earlier promises, while the job market appears uncertain. Additionally, the issue of free speech—until now advocated by conservatives—has arisen as a area of contention after White House representatives attacked those who dissented regarding a recently murdered right-wing figure.
"People are going to get hurt by a closure, but they’re also going to be harmed if their insurance costs go up by a large percentage when other expenses are going up—the price of car repairs, the price of groceries, the cost of educational materials," commented Senator Chris Murphy. "Additionally, people are going to get hurt by a federal system that’s … lawless, because if you are unable to express opinions in this country without consequences, that comes with a price as well."
Senator Bernie Sanders, who participates with Democrats, added during the live stream: "You have a leader who rejects the constitution, doesn’t believe in the rule of law, lies all of the time."
Upper Chamber as Key Battleground
This chamber is the central venue for this conflict because the supermajority threshold for most bills gives the minority leverage they do not have in the lower house. The caucus could have made this stand in March, when government funding previously lapsed, but at that time the Senate leader backed down, triggering substantial backlash from the party’s base.
Now, though, the senior Democrat is supportive, as are the groups that rally his constituents—a reality observed with some resentment by Republicans after both parties blocked each other’s spending proposals.
"The minority party have abandoned the American people to Democrats’s partisan interests. I trust it will be some comfort for citizens facing shuttered public operations to know that certain far-left groups are happy with this decision," stated the GOP leader, John Thune.
Possible Outcomes and Dangers
Previous shutdowns have resulted in government employees not receiving salaries and operations the public depends on—such as government offices and public lands—shutting their doors.
Additionally, the administration’s budget director has pledged to make this closure particularly damaging by employing it as a chance to fire federal workers—a practice the administration has reportedly been engaged in since the start of the year.
Yet, there are already signs that some Democrats are nervous about this threat. A small number supported a Republican measure to continue funding on Tuesday evening, with concern about what the president might do during a shutdown being a shared fear.
"Many feel that this was an occasion to confront Donald Trump, to vote no and to resist. The irony, the contradiction is, by closing the government, we’re actually giving Donald Trump more power," observed Angus King, the Maine unaffiliated who aligns with Democrats.
A difficult truth for Democrats is that previous shutdowns have rarely succeeded in winning compromises for the side that instigates them. The majority likely need only a handful more dissenters from the minority to get their bill through the Senate, and they claim they will keep holding votes in a attempt to exploit the Democratic anxiety that was evident on the evening of the vote.
"I’m not comfortable with anybody’s strategy at present," said New Hampshire lawmaker Jeanne Shaheen, whose departure in the coming months will require her party to contest a legislative position in a competitive state. "In my view that what’s been missing has been a commitment from the chief executive, who’s leading all branches of the federal system, and he appears not to be engaged."
