Expect that the government shutdown will end soon. It has accomplished its goal of mobilizing Democrats for the Tuesday election.
Negotiations began shortly after the polls opened yesterday. Unsurprisingly, many of the less leftist Democrats in the Senate had been itching to get the shutdown behind them, but Chuck Schumer had pressured them to wait until the voting was over to break ranks.
🚨 BREAKING: Sen. Markwayne Mullin just outrageously revealed Chuck Schumer held a BACK-ROOM MEETING and demanded Democrat senators wait until after tonight's elections to reopen the government
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 4, 2025
"Because they were afraid their base wouldn't show up today in Virginia, NJ, NYC."… pic.twitter.com/NVJi4IES2h
Well, mission accomplished, and now "governing" can now begin, at least for a few months before the next election cycle kicks into high gear.
A bipartisan group of senators is working to craft a deal in which Congress would pass three full-year appropriations bills to fund some agencies, along with a short-term bill that would reopen the rest of the government.https://t.co/ozL5xMes4f
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) November 5, 2025
I saw this Washington Post story this morning and almost laughed out loud. It is saying nothing that couldn't have been written days ago, since it had become common knowledge in Washington that the Democrats were holding out for November 4th. Everybody who was inside the tent knew, but the Post and media folks didn't want you to know until it was "safe" for Democrats to "defect."
A handful of moderate Senate Democrats are considering voting to end what has now become the country’s longest government shutdown, splitting the caucus as some colleagues to their left urge them to hold out.
A bipartisan group of senators is working to craft a deal in which Congress would pass three full-year appropriations bills to fund some agencies, along with a short-term bill that would reopen the rest of the government, according to four people familiar with the talks, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private discussions. In exchange, Senate Republicans would agree to hold a vote at a set date on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies that are otherwise slated to expire. Democrats have insisted throughout the shutdown that the subsidies be extended.
About a dozen Senate Democrats are open to backing the proposal, three of the people estimated, which is still being hammered out — more than enough to break the impasse and reopen the government.
The government has been shuttered since Oct. 1, when funding ran out and Congress failed to agree on a funding extension. Democrats have demanded Republicans work with them to extend pandemic-era ACA subsidies that will expire at the end of the year, raising health care premiums, in some cases sharply.
Republicans have refused, saying they won’t negotiate on health care while the government is shut down. They have repeatedly offered a bill that would fund the government through Nov. 21, which Senate Democrats have defeated 14 times.
But as food aid remains uncertain, flight delays mount and federal workers continue to miss paychecks, some moderate Democrats are looking for a way out of the impasse.
Sen. Gary Peters (D-Michigan), who has been a part of the negotiations, said Tuesday that “everything’s on the table,” adding that “the pace of talks have increased.”
Senate Democrats met for lunch Tuesday for nearly three hours to discuss the path forward. Those involved in the talks updated their colleagues on where they stand. Afterward, Peters said it was a “thoughtful” discussion: “It was one of the better caucus meetings I’ve been in in a while.”
This is, of course, a "deal" that could have been reached at any time. Republicans have been promising to hold a vote on extending ACA subsidies from the outset. The shutdown was never really about policy, but rather it was about appeasing leftists in the run-up to the election and bolstering Chuck Schumer's leftist cred as he gets ready to take on AOC in his own Senate race--assuming she doesn't jump straight to running for president.
Don't be surprised if, after last night's victories, she chooses to do that. Schumer may have scored a two-fer by helping leftists to ride to easy victories last night. He scores a symbolic victory over Trump and saves his own political butt by boosting AOC's ambitions above the U.S. Senate and giving her hope that she has a shot. His seat comes up in 2028, the same year as the next presidential election.
The Hill: At least 8 Senate Democrats, including, Jeanne Shaheen and Jon Ossoff, are meeting in hopes of finding a deal to end the monthlong government shutdown, but sources familiar with the closely held conversations say they will need strong assurances from the GOP before…
— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) November 3, 2025
Putting out the story that the "moderate" Democrats are going to split with the "progressives" helps both groups with their electoral prospects as well. The "moderates" need the reputation of being "moderate" to win in their states, while the "progressives" need the opposite. Allowing the "moderates" to performatively split from the caucus now that the election is over serves a strong electoral purpose, as each side can run on remaining "principled."
Expect commercials to be cut on that theme next year.
🚨 Top of Axios Hill Leaders last night
— Stephen Neukam (@stephen_neukam) November 4, 2025
A deal to end the government shutdown is taking shape.
Senate Dems are in talks with Rs about a future vote on ACA subsidies in exchange for a CR.
Lawmakers told us there has been significant progress.
More w/ @StefWKight…
That's not to say that the "moderates" haven't been itching to get the shutdown over. They are and have been. It's just that their party loyalty has been stronger than their desire to do so. They expect they can ride out voter anger next year by showing that they "bucked their party" by defecting.
It's a win-win for them too.
No matter how cynical you are about politics and politicians, it's not nearly enough. And no matter how much you hate the media, it's not nearly enough. These reporters could have written about all these machinations days or a week or so ago, but chose not to. Does anybody believe that none of them had picked up on the strategy, given their connections?
Everything is performance.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
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