Democrats versus Democrats: shutdown fight gets bigger for one party

WASHINGTON — A week ago Democrats were joyous. They believed they were on their way to rebuilding trust and credibility after a wave of election victories across the country.

Not anymore.

After a handful of moderate senators cut a deal with Republicans to reopen the government, Democrats from every corner ripped the group and accused them of squandering the party's leverage.

The agreement brings back fired federal workers and funds food assistance at higher levels — but only includes the promise of a vote to renew expiring Obamacare subsidies that were at the heart of the shutdown. The U.S. Senate on Monday passed a funding package to end the record-breaking shutdown, putting the federal government on a path to reopening in coming days.

Presidential aspirants trashed Senate Democrats who crossed the aisle to support the measure. Winners from last week, including as Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey and Zohran Mamdani of New York City, are among the bill's harsh critics. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer didn't vote for the measure yet found himself in trouble anyway.

"There was a ray of light in otherwise pretty depressing year, and leave it to Democrats to misinterpret that moment — to miss that moment," said Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of the progressive group Our Revolution. "There's a fundamental disconnect between the leaders in the party and the grassroots, and I think the deal that got struck yesterday is the epitome of that disconnect."

Schumer drew the ire of Democrats in March when he voted to keep the government open. This time he tried to force President Donald Trump 's hand by backing a shutdown. Democrats held out for more than five weeks for an Obamacare vote before the moderate group announced a deal on Sunday that fell short of what the party had demanded.

Sherrill, a moderate New Jersey lawmaker who notched a victory last Tuesday to become governor elect, called the agreement "malpractice" in a statement . Mamdani, who identifies himself a democratic socialist, said it "only exacerbates the affordability crisis" and should be rejected.

"Voters made it clear: the American people want leadership with a backbone," Sherill said. "And at a critical moment when they need leaders to stay strong under pressure, the Senate is on the brink of caving on a bill that the American people can't afford."

The sentiment was widely shared among as politicians and activists, who accused lawmakers in Washington of being out of touch with the party's voters.

'Making this deal is malpractice.' It's Democrat vs. Democrat as shutdown nears end

Youth group NextGen America said the "capitulation to Trump and Republicans exemplifies why young people do not trust the party establishment" in a statement from interim president Victoria Yang that said the "eight Democrats, under the leadership of Senator Schumer, have caved and abandoned their own base in the process."

"Last Tuesday, young people showed up for Democrats down-ballot, and now, eight Senate Democrats have betrayed that trust," Yang said. "This decision for many people across the country will mean skyrocketing costs on health insurance, and in some instances, the difference between life or death."

The deal came together after five Democrats who aren't on the ballot in 2026 agreed to flip their votes: Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Jacky Rosen of Nevada and Tim Kaine of Virginia. They were joined by three other members of the Democratic caucus — Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Angus King, an independent from Maine — who'd been voting for Republicans' bill from the start.

Durbin is the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate. He and Shaheen are both retiring.

"I honestly don't understand why senators who are leaving are making decisions for the whole party. Why were they negotiating at all?" Center for American Progress president and CEO Neera Tanden wrote on X.

Tanden, a former top adviser to President Joe Biden , said the deal "makes no sense" and warned that Republicans "are not going to negotiate with you" to address the healthcare premiums.

Trump insisted in the Oval Office on Nov. 10 that he would abide by the agreement.

Democratic hopefuls lash out

Several potential 2028 candidates in the party also lashed out, including former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who said on X that it was "a bad deal" and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who called it an "empty promise ." California Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose redistricting initiative won last week at the ballot box, panned the agreement as "pathetic" in a post on social media.

Rep. Ro Khanna went a step further and said said on X, formerly known as Twitter , that Schumer should be forced out as party leader.

"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?" Khanna wrote.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said at a press conference that he's backing Schumer.

But the support did little to quell the uproar from liberal and progressive groups, including Our Revolution, which said it took a survey of its members after last Tuesday's elections and 90% said Schumer "should step aside" as party leader and 92% saying they would support a primary challenger against him.

Even though Schumer voted against the bill, he shares in the blame as caucus leader, activists said.

"The buck stops with him," Geevarghese said. "At the very least, he should be able to hold his members together, and he failed to do so. That's not a sign of leadership. That's ineptitude."

The Gen Z focused group Voters of Tomorrow said the eight senators "have betrayed our generation," and said that "either through complicity or incompetence, Chuck Schumer once again proved he cannot provide the type of leadership that young Americans demand" and needed to resign his leadership post.

"Young people don't want leaders who fold in the face of a fight. Young people’s support cannot be taken for granted, it needs to be earned every day," the group said.

MoveOn chief communications officer Joel Payne said the energy around fighters is how Democrats from different wings of the party were able to win last Tuesday.

He said the group's members have been asking, "Who's fighting for us? Do these people understand the moment that we're in? Do they understand how much we're hurting? How scared we are? How much at risk we are?"

"And if you can't convince the public that you get that," Payne said in an interview, "that is an unsustainable political position to have right now — if you can't convince the public that you're willing to fight."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Furious Democrats rip shutdown deal as missing the moment