'His word is good!' Dem senator gushes about trusting GOP leader as she caves on shutdown

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), one of the eight moderate Senate Democrats that had agreed to cooperate with Republicans and cave in the government shutdown fight, defended her decision Monday by insisting that GOP leadership’s promise to hold a vote on extending health care subsidies was sufficient to warrant crossing her party’s leadership.

Appearing on Fox News, Shaheen was asked if she had any doubts that the Senate – which has yet to vote on a spending bill that would end the shutdown – may fail to ultimately reopen the government given the pressure on Senate Democrats to hold firm in their demands to secure funding for health care subsidies.

“No, I don't worry about that because I think people are looking at the millions of Americans who have been affected by this shutdown, the people who are struggling to get food,” Shaheen said.

Now on its 41st day, the ongoing government shutdown began after Senate Democrats refused to vote for any spending bills that did not include an extension to Obamacare subsidies, which, if allowed to expire later this year, would see an estimated 4 million Americans lose health insurance, and premiums more than double for millions of Obamacare enrollees.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) late Sunday was apparently successful in breaking enough Senate Democrats to overcome the required 60-vote threshold to force through a spending bill without an extension to the Obamacare subsidies, however, promising Democrats that the chamber would vote on extending the subsidies in December.

Shaheen apparently took Thune at his word, telling Fox News, “I believe his word is good.”

“We're in agreement now: fund those food benefits for people, bring back federal employees who were let go during the shutdown, make sure that everybody gets their backpay, that's important!” Shaheen said. “We need to get this economy moving again.”

The outrage at the eight Senate Democrats has been fierce, with many party loyalists – and even a House Democrat – now calling for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (R-NY) to step down from his leadership role. While Schumer has said he intends on voting against the spending bill, critics did not ease up on their criticism of the Senate leader, with some calling the debacle "orchestrated" from the top down.

“Just enough Senate Dems bit the bullet to re-open the government (probably because of the airport problems affecting upper-middle class constituents) while also giving politically ambitious Dems an opportunity to rail against the Weak-Willed Party Establishment,” wrote journalist Michael Tracey in a social media post on X.

“Kabuki Theater. They orchestrated it so that eight Dems without any upcoming re-election concerns could take the heat for the rest of the caucus, and get the airports functional.”