Sen. Dick Durbin Admits Democrats “Caved” on Shutdown — Just to Prove a Point About GOP Health Care Policies 🔥

As Democrats face backlash for ending the longest shutdown in U.S. history without health care concessions, Durbin defends the move as symbolic — even as premiums are set to soar.

Washington, D.C. | In a stunning admission that’s fueling backlash across the Democratic base, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said his party “caved” on the government shutdown to make a symbolic point about Republican indifference to rising health insurance costs. The move, which reopened the federal government after a record-long shutdown, came without securing Affordable Care Act subsidy extensions — a core demand of Democrats.

“We proved that Republicans are not sensitive to health care insurance premiums and we are,” Durbin told The Intercept. “National polls show we’ve made a national issue out of it.”

Durbin, the Senate Minority Whip and one of eight Senate Democrats to side with Republicans, insisted that the decision, while unpopular, highlighted the party’s policy values. But critics argue that symbolism came at an enormous cost — both politically and economically.

💸 Health Care at the Heart of the Fight

Democrats had previously vowed to keep the government closed until the GOP agreed to extend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that help lower insurance premiums for millions of Americans. Instead, Senate Republicans offered only a non-binding promise to hold a separate vote later this year — one Democrats are almost certain to lose given the GOP majority.

Republicans are already signaling resistance. “No, we’re not extending subsidies,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who called the program “insane.”

In the House, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has refused to commit to any vote at all, saying, “We’re not taking four corners in a back room and making a deal and hoisting it upon the American people.”

Without legislative action, experts project premium costs could double next year for millions of working-class families.

💥 Democratic Divide and Base Outrage

The decision to fold without winning concessions has fractured the Democratic Party.

Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) called the deal “a betrayal of working families,” while Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) publicly called on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to resign, accusing him of “leadership failure.”

“Schumer has failed to meet this moment,” Tlaib wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “The Democratic Party needs leaders who fight and deliver for working people.”

None of the eight Senate Democrats who voted to reopen the government — including Durbin, Kaine, Fetterman, Shaheen, and Hassan — are up for reelection, a fact that observers say insulated them from immediate voter backlash.

🏛️ A Shutdown That Changed Nothing

The shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, began over ACA funding and ended with the same issue unresolved. Republicans retained control of the narrative, while Democrats appeared divided and fatigued, undermining last week’s electoral surge in Virginia, New Jersey, and California.

Still, Durbin maintains the party “got something” out of the ordeal. “We get the government reopened. They get a vote on health care. Everybody gets something,” he said.

But critics argue that’s cold comfort for the millions now facing steeper premiums and fewer protections. As public frustration mounts, the episode underscores a recurring Democratic dilemma: symbolic victories that come at real-world costs.

======

-- By Michele Robinson

© Copyright 2025 JWT Communications. All rights reserved. This article cannot be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten, or distributed in any form without written permission.