Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) expressed his discontent with Senate Democrats over a deal to initiate the government reopening process. He cautioned about the implications of not extending healthcare subsidies.
“Tonight was a really bad night,” he remarked, sharing his thoughts in a post on social media platform X. In a video, he criticized the eight Senate Democrats who supported the continuing resolution.
Only three Democratic senators had previously backed Republican funding proposals, as most have resisted the bill while seeking an extension of the enhanced tax credits from the Affordable Care Act. These credits are set to expire at the end of the year, which could potentially increase premiums for millions.
However, on Sunday, five additional Democrats joined the three in favoring the House-passed measure to reopen federal operations.
Sanders highlighted the risks associated with backing a bill that fails to expand and prolong healthcare subsidies, a crucial issue for Democrats since the government shutdown started.
“In my view, this was a very poor vote,” Sanders stated in the video. “To begin with, it could lead to healthcare costs doubling, tripling, or even quadrupling for over 20 million Americans. That’s unaffordable, especially since we already have the highest healthcare expenses globally.”
“Additionally, this could result in 15 million individuals being cut from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act,” he added.
He also took issue with Senate Democrats seemingly yielding to Republican pressures, despite many Democrats feeling empowered by their recent electoral success amid the government shutdown stalemate.
“As we’ve all seen, elections took place across the nation just last Tuesday. What those results indicated is that the American people want us to resist Trumpism, oppose attacks on the working class, and stand against authoritarianism,” Sanders noted.
“That was the message from the American people,” he concluded. “But, unfortunately, that wasn’t reflected tonight.”
Despite this disappointment, Sanders pledged to keep advocating for working-class Americans.
“We’ve got to press on and strive to protect working-class individuals while confronting the absurdity that the United States is the only major nation that doesn’t guarantee healthcare for all,” he said.
“There’s plenty of work ahead, but to be frank, tonight just wasn’t a good night,” he remarked.
