US Senate takes step toward ending record-breaking shutdown, but political battle only intensifies – Rezazade

The US Senate on Sunday night approved the first key decision that could lead to the end of the longest government shutdown in the country’s history.

The agreement, reached as a result of a rare bipartisan session, will temporarily restore government funding, but has divided the Democratic Party due to the lack of a provision to extend subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

According to the Washington Post, seven Democratic senators and independent Senator Angus King voted with the majority of Republicans in support of the compromise that paves the way for the passage of the funding package. The vote was the first step towards the resumption of the government, which has been idle for more than 40 days.

However, positions within the Democratic Party remain sharply divided. The minority leaders in the Senate and the House of Representatives — Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries — opposed the agreement. “This health care crisis is so serious that I cannot in good conscience support this bill,” Schumer said, referring to the lack of an extension of the ACA’s subsidies, which are supposed to prevent the cost of health insurance from rising.

Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts called the agreement “a serious mistake,” saying that “Americans expect us to fight for their health, not to seek temporary compromises.”

The first vice president of the Iranian opposition in Washington, international expert Ali Reza Rezazade, commented on the political situation, noting that the current crisis reflects the deep ideological polarization in American politics, which Donald Trump has successfully used to consolidate his electorate.

“Trump is turning any crisis into a political arena. His strategy is not to resolve the conflict, but to show himself as the only one who can control it. For Democrats, this is a trap - the longer the shutdown lasts, the greater the disappointment among voters, but hasty concessions can also cost the party political authority,” Rezazade noted.

According to the agreement, the Senate will open the government by January 30, combining three main funding bills into one package. However, the ACA subsidies, which are due to expire at the end of the year, are not extended - Republicans have promised to return to this issue only in December.

Rezazade emphasized that this situation creates double pressure on Democrats: “They are caught between the demand to stop the shutdown and the need to protect social policies, on which the trust of the middle class is based. For Trump, this dynamic is beneficial - he demonstrates strength, while at the same time shifting the focus from economic problems and criticism of his own administration.”

The political analyst also noted that “American budget blackmail” is gradually becoming the norm of political life in the United States: “What was once a crisis has now become a tool of power. This is a dangerous trend, because it undermines trust in the very institution of democracy.”