WATCH: Democrats struggle to defend Schumer after shutdown ends with few wins
On the heels of a historic 43-day government shutdown, Democrats are facing tough questions about whether the record-breaking standoff was worth it, and whether Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer gave...
By Fox News · Fox News
On the heels of a historic 43-day government shutdown , Democrats are facing tough questions about whether the record-breaking standoff was worth it, and whether Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer gave up too soon. After failing to secure the healthcare subsidies they demanded, and with several senators breaking ranks to join Republicans in reopening the government — a move widely seen as a black eye on Schumer's leadership — Senate Democrats continued to blame President Donald Trump and the GOP for the shutdown when pressed by Fox News Digital. "I'm disappointed and angry that Republicans forced a false and impossible choice between healthcare insurance and reopening the government," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said Wednesday. "They promised that there will be a vote on extending the healthcare subsidies . If they fail to provide that vote, or if the vote fails, they should be held accountable. They are to be blamed." PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATS TURN ON PARTY LEADERSHIP AFTER GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN ENDS WITHOUT HEALTHCARE GUARANTEES Blumenthal charged that it was Republicans who "forced the false choice between reopening the government and affordable health insurance," which he said has been "viewed reprehensibly by the American people, and rightly so." Like many of his Democratic colleagues, the Connecticut senator sidestepped a question about whether Schumer could have done more to hold the line on negotiations. SENATE VOTE TO END GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IGNITES DEMOCRAT CIVIL WAR Seven Democratic senators , including one independent who caucuses with them, and six House Democrats voted to reopen the government last week, without extending the pandemic-era Obamacare subsidies that Democrats had pushed for since the shutdown began on Oct. 1. The intraparty revolt has exposed a widening rift between Democratic leadership and its left flank, as progressive candidates accused Schumer of surrendering leverage to Republicans in exchange for a funding deal that left key hea…