Enough Democrats caved.

A Sunday night Senate deal may be on the verge of resolving the longest government shutdown on record — after a group of moderate Democrats dropped their key demand — a guaranteed extension of Obamacare subsidies.

The agreement opened the way for a Senate vote in which eight Democratic defectors voted to break the filibuster and to clear the first hurdle to reopening the government after nearly six weeks. Their move will offer relief to millions of Americans whose lives have been severely disrupted by the shutdown.

But the compromise was opposed by some key party leaders and is already igniting a firestorm of protests from progressives who accuse their more moderate colleagues of disastrously backing down, handing President Donald Trump a victory and turning their backs on millions of Americans who can’t afford spiking health care premiums.

“I will not support a deal that does nothing to make health care more affordable,” Democratic Sen Elizabeth Warren, a leading progressive, wrote on X. “We are in a health care emergency. … A vote for this bill is a mistake.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren talks with reporters after a Senate Democratic Caucus meeting at the US Capitol on November 9, 2025. Nathan Posner/Anadolu/Getty Images

It might be crass to parse the human misery caused by the shutdown for a partisan win after a political duel that deprived millions of Americans of food benefits, left federal workers with $0 paychecks, and created chaos and safety fears in commercial aviation.

But the crisis — precipitated by the expiration of enhanced subsidies for Affordable Care Act plans, whose prices are skyrocketing — was fought for multilayered political reasons. It will influence judgments on Trump’s second presidency and the Republican majorities in Congress and help define the trajector