A group of Senate Democrats crossed the aisle to join Republicans in their bid to reopen the government, and provided enough votes to get the wheels turning as the shutdown enters its 40th day. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
"The question was, does the shutdown further the goal of achieving some needed support for the extension of the tax credits? Our judgment was that it will not," King said. "It would not produce that result. And the evidence for that is almost seven weeks of fruitless attempts to make that happen."
Schumer and Senate Democrats long stayed the course that they would only vote to reopen the government in exchange for a solid deal on extending expiring Obamacare subsidies.
But the solution developed over the last several days included nothing of the sort. While there were some wins in the updated continuing resolution (CR), like reversals of some of the firings of furloughed workers undertaken by the Trump administration and guaranteeing back pay for furloughed workers, there was no guaranteed victory in sight on the Obamacare issue.
That means that Senate Democrats effectively caved with little to show for their healthcare push, save for the guarantee of a vote on the subsidies from Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., which was reflected in the updated CR.
Schumer panned the compromise deal, and charged that when Republicans rejected Democrats' own counter-proposal that would have extended the expiring subsidies for a year, "They showed that they are against any health care reform."
"This healthcare crisis is so severe, so urgent, so devastating for families back home that I cannot, in good faith, support this CR that fails to address the healthcare crisis," Schumer said.
SENATE IN LIMBO AS THUNE EYES LONG HAUL UNTIL SHUTDOWN ENDS
Senator Bernie Sanders, an Independent from Vermont, during a news conference at the US Capitol in Washington, D..C, on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
And the shutdown won’t end in the Senate, given that the changes to the legislation will need to be greenlit by the House before making it to President Donald Trump’s desk.
Democrats could still extract pain through procedural hurdles unless there is unanimous agreement from all 100 senators to move forward with the remaining votes.
The Obamacare issue is still bubbling on both sides of the aisle, however. Senate Republicans slammed the state of healthcare throughout Saturday, particularly over how the subsidies funneled money to insurance companies.
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Democrats still remained skeptical if their frustration, and desire to make changes to take on insurance companies, was legitimate.
"The point, I think that's really relevant here, is if they're serious, and I really question whether that's the case," Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said.
Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/senate-democrats-cave-open-path-reopening-government