Civil War Breaks Out Among Democrats After Caving on Shutdown: ‘Pathetic’
updatedNov 10, 2025 at 04:30 AM EST By Jordan King1/2
Some Democrats have spoken out against their colleagues after they advanced a deal to end the record-breaking 40-day government shutdown.
Seven Democrats and one independent voted with Republicans in the Senate late Sunday to end the shutdown, which has left federal workers without pay for more than a month.
Those who support the deal include John Fetterman, a Democratic senator from Pennsylvania, who apologized to those government workers who have gone weeks without being paid, calling the shutdown a “failure.”
But several big names in the party, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent, have criticized the deal and those that voted for it, with Newsom calling it “pathetic.”
Why It Matters
The longest government shutdown in U.S. history has caused cascading disruptions for millions of Americans, from delayed SNAP benefits to thousands of flight cancellations and weeks without pay for hundreds of thousands of federal workers. The shutdown, which began on October 1, persisted for over 40 days as negotiations between Republicans and Democrats repeatedly stalled, largely over enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits and Medicaid funding.
The resulting internal split within the Democratic Party reveals a high-stakes debate about legislative priorities, political strategy, and the practical impacts of government closures nationwide.
What People Are Saying
John Fetterman, a Democratic senator from Pennsylvania, wrote on X: "After 40 days as a consistent voice against shutting our government down, I voted YES for the 15th time to REOPEN. I'm sorry to our military, SNAP recipients, gov workers, and Capitol Police who haven’t been paid in weeks. It should’ve never come to this. This was a failure."
California Governor Gavin Newsom, said through his press office, described the deal as "pathetic," adding: "This isn’t a deal. It’s a surrender. Don’t bend the knee!"
New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X: "The average monthly SNAP benefit is $177 a person. The average ACA benefit is up to $550 a person/mo. People want us to hold the line for a reason. This is not a matter of appealing to a base. It’s about people’s lives. Working people want leaders whose word means something."
Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont said in a video posted to X: “Tonight, eight Democrats voted with the Republicans to allow them to go forward on this continuing resolution. And to my mind, this was a very, very bad vote. What it does, first of all, is it raises health care premiums for over 20 million Americans by doubling and, in some cases, tripling or quadrupling–people can’t afford that, we’re already paying the highest prices in the world for health care.”
Democratic Pennsylvania Representative Summer Lee said in a post on X: “Americans have endured the pain of the longest government shutdown in history for a 'deal' that guarantees nothing on healthcare. If Republicans wanted to vote to extend subsidies, they would’ve done it already. Capitulating is unacceptable.”
https://www.newsweek.com/government-shutdown-deal-civil-war-breaks-out-democrats-pathetic-john-fetterman-gavin-newsom-11019626