The End to the Government Shutdown
In the latest episode of *Washington Week With The Atlantic*, the panel delved into the recent government shutdown, which marked the longest in U.S. history, and the subsequent reopening of federal operations. This shutdown, which lasted for weeks, was a contentious political maneuver initiated by a faction of Senate Democrats who believed that leveraging a shutdown could ultimately benefit their party by putting pressure on Senate Republicans. However, as the shutdown dragged on, the mounting frustrations among Democratic lawmakers became increasingly evident. Nancy Cordes, chief White House correspondent at CBS News, highlighted that many Senate Democrats felt the shutdown was a risky gamble that ultimately backfired. They had hoped to gain leverage over Republicans, but the decision of eight Senate Democrats to break ranks and support a reopening deal left many in the party questioning the effectiveness of their strategy.
The discussion featured insights from a diverse panel of political reporters, including Natalie Andrews from The Wall Street Journal and Andrew Desiderio from Punchbowl News, who examined the implications of the shutdown and the deal brokered by moderate lawmakers. Cordes pointed out that while the pain from the shutdown was palpable—evidenced by increasing flight delays and the loss of crucial food assistance for SNAP beneficiaries—these Democratic senators opted not to gamble further on their leverage. This decision has sparked a broader conversation about the future of the Democratic Party and its strategic approach to negotiations with Republicans. The panelists reflected on whether the Democrats missed an opportunity to strengthen their position and what this might mean for their unity and effectiveness moving forward.
As the political landscape continues to evolve, the implications of this shutdown and the subsequent reopening will likely reverberate through future legislative efforts. The episode serves as a reminder of the complexities of governance and the delicate balance lawmakers must strike between principled stands and practical outcomes. For those interested in a deeper dive into the nuances of this political saga, the full episode is available for viewing on PBS and through various podcast platforms.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kTcXsExfeU
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This week the government reopened after the longest closure in the nation’s history. Panelists on
Washington Week With The Atlantic
joined to discuss how moderate lawmakers brokered a deal with Senate Republicans—and what it may mean for the Democratic Party going forward.
There is a lot of frustration among Democratic lawmakers following the end of the shutdown, which is now spilling out into public view, Nancy Cordes, the chief White House correspondent at CBS News, said last night. “There are Senate Democrats who feel that the whole point of this risky enterprise in the first place, triggering a shutdown, was because eventually, over time, they felt that they would gain enough leverage over Republicans.”
Although “the pain was mounting; yes, flight delays were mounting; yes, SNAP beneficiaries were starting to lose very crucial food assistance,” Cordes noted, “they felt that they were getting closer to putting Republicans in a very uncomfortable situation.” She added: “We’ll never know if they were right or not, because these eight Senate Democrats said that they weren’t willing to find out.”
Joining the guest moderator and a staff writer at
The Atlantic
, Vivian Salama, to discuss this and more: Natalie Andrews, a White House correspondent at
The Wall Street Journal
; Cordes, the chief White House correspondent at CBS News; Andrew Desiderio, a senior congressional reporter for
Punchbowl News
; Jeff Mason, a White House correspondent at Reuters.
Watch the full episode
here
.
