Democratic Unity Fades Fast as Eight Senators Cross Aisle To Vote with GOP on Federal Funding Vote

The same deal Democrats dismissed weeks ago now moves ahead; Schumer votes no, but no one believes he didn’t sign off…

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⏱️ 7 minute read

What A Difference Less Than A Week Makes…

If one looked only at the election results from last Tuesday, it would have been easy to conclude that the Democratic Party was heading into the next election cycle in the strongest possible position. They performed well, and while victories in states like New York, Virginia, and New Jersey were expected, they ultimately won by wider margins than anticipated. They projected unity, and the story coming out of Tuesday was simple: Democrats were organized, energized, and feeling pretty confident. But last night, that unity effectively detonated.

Last night, eight Democratic members of the United States Senate voted with all Republican Senators to begin advancing a continuing resolution to reopen the federal government. The vote caught Democrats off guard — not just in Washington, but everywhere. Even sympathetic analysts struggled to explain why Democrats would give up leverage.

It’s a party split between leadership trying to preserve control and a base demanding ideological escalation. And we’re likely to see more of this — Democrats doing damage to themselves with no help from anyone else — which seems like an unforced error.

It’s Not a New Deal — It’s the Same Deal That Was Offered Weeks Ago

So here are the details of the deal that was renewed and advanced last night. The agreement keeps federal spending at the same elevated levels set during the pandemic era. It keeps everything exactly where it is. No cuts. No reforms. Nothing changes.

For those who are confused about the discussion over cuts to the COVID-era increases in Obamacare healthcare subsidies, note that these cuts were already made in the One Big Beautiful Bill signed into law on July 4th. Progressives wanted to undo those cuts. They didn’t.

The Progressive Response Was Quick and Nasty

The backlash from the left flank of the Democratic Party was immediate and intense. Within hours, prominent figures were openly criticizing the deal and those who supported it. Senator Bernie Sanders released a video condemning the agreement.

California Governor Gavin Newsom called the deal pathetic.

For many on the left, compromise on spending is no longer viewed as pragmatism — it’s treated as betrayal. The response from California’s two ultra-liberal senators was to vote no, and they made their statements on X. Adam Schiff said…

And Alex Padilla wrote…

The takeaway is that the Democratic Party remains bitterly divided between the old guard institutionalists and the meteoric rise of the dominant left. So the question is whether the “party of the people” can get its act together heading into 2026, or whether they’re going to continue this internal knife fight straight through the new year.

Nobody Can Explain Why Democrats Caved

I’m including a video from former CNN/Washington Post analyst gone independent Chris Cillizza because if you’ve got eight minutes, you can really hear the wonder in his voice about how Democrats managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

The Schumer Sign-Off That Nobody Believes

If you believe that Chuck Schumer did not sign off on this deal and allowed his eight Democrats to go up on the bill, then I’ve got a bridge to sell you in Arizona. Schumer needed the government to reopen for the sake of the institutions, donors, and interest networks that rely on federal spending. But at the same time, he’s facing a progressive challenge in his reelection bid next year to remain the senior senator from New York, and so he couldn’t vote yes himself.

What This All Means for Those Who Believe in Limited Government

For those of us who want smaller government, this is not a good deal. The continuing resolution maintains federal spending at the elevated levels established during the pandemic. No meaningful attempt was made here to rein in spending, reform programs, or restore pre-pandemic baselines.

So while the headlines may focus on who crossed the aisle or who issued which statements, the underlying reality is that the size and cost of government continue to grow. This is the moment when temporary emergency government spending quietly becomes permanent government size. And the longer these “temporary” levels of spending remain in place, the harder it will be to reverse them.

So, Does It Matter?

This agreement locks in federal spending at the elevated levels set during the pandemic. Once spending becomes the baseline, it rarely returns to its previous level.

Democrats threw down for a fight. And then, suddenly, they blinked. They traded leverage for temporary quiet and exposed their divisions in the process.

Republicans now face the test of whether they will actually push for spending restraint from here, or whether they will benefit politically from watching Democrats fight among themselves while accepting the status quo.

Speaker Johnson has said that the purpose of the continuing resolution is to allow for “regular order” to return — meaning that each of the appropriations bills will be debated and voted on individually, using the standard processes for government spending. That’s fair enough as a process goal. However, it becomes irrelevant if, through that process, the federal government continues to receive funding at this massive scale, and no meaningful effort is made to right-size it or reduce the national debt. “Regular order” is not a victory if the regular order of things is bloated spending.

The stakes are not just about this shutdown. They are about whether the United States continues to operate at a permanently expanded scale of government — or whether Americans will be told, once again, that government only ever moves in one direction: larger.

As Ronald Reagan said in his famous 1964 speech, A Time for Choosing:

“No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear.”

A cautionary warning from over 60 years ago…

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