Trump's Triumph as Democrats Face Backlash from Historic Shutdown

Fri Nov 14 2025 11:27:14 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The end of the longest US government shutdown marks a moment of celebration for Trump and challenges for Democrats as they grapple with fractured party support.

Following a record-setting 43-day government shutdown, President Trump celebrates the reopening while Democrats face internal strife over their concessions. The shutdown stemmed from a bipartisan conflict over healthcare subsidies, leading to significant dissatisfaction among some Democrats, particularly with Senate leader Chuck Schumer. As federal workers return to their jobs, the political landscape reveals potential vulnerabilities for both parties as elections loom.

After 43 days, the longest US government shutdown in history is coming to an end.

Federal workers will start receiving pay again. National Parks will reopen. Government services that had been curtailed or suspended entirely will resume. Air travel, which had become a nightmare for many Americans, will return to being merely frustrating.

After the dust settles and the ink from President Donald Trump's signature on the funding bill dries, what has this record-setting shutdown accomplished? And what has it cost?

Senate Democrats, through their use of the parliamentary filibuster, were able to trigger the shutdown despite being a minority in the chamber by refusing to go along with a Republican measure to temporarily fund the government.

They drew a line in the sand, demanding that the Republicans agree to extend health insurance subsidies for low-income Americans that are set to expire at the end of the year.

When a handful of Democrats broke ranks to vote to reopen the government on Sunday, they received next to nothing in return – a promise of a vote on the subsidies, but no guarantees of Republican support or even a necessary vote in the House of Representatives.

Since then, members of the party's left flank have been furious. They accused Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer – who didn't vote for the funding bill – of being secretly complicit in the reopening plan or simply incompetent.

Even more mainstream Democrats, like California's Governor Gavin Newsom, called the shutdown deal pathetic and a surrender.

For Trump, in the days since the Senate deadlock broke, his mood shifted from cautious optimism to celebration. He congratulated congressional Republicans and called the vote to reopen the government a very big victory.

While several government departments will be funded until September in the shutdown-ending agreement, Congress will have to approve spending for the rest of the government by the end of January to avoid another shutdown.

Democrats, licking their wounds, may be hankering for another chance to fight, particularly on the pressing issue of healthcare subsidies that could significantly impact tens of millions of Americans.

Amidst this turbulent political atmosphere, Trump expressed challenges to his success being overshadowed by newer issues, asserting the need to address healthcare concerns could put Republicans at risk as future elections approach.