Senate Democrats are seizing on their party’s widespread victories in Tuesday’s elections as reason to continue their shutdown fight over health care costs.
They argued Democratic candidates’ messages on lowering costs resonated among voters in New Jersey, New York and Virginia and that is at the center of the shutdown fight.
“Democrats across the country last night who ran on affordability won, because that is the heart of what Democrats are fighting for right now,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts Democrat. “Health care is the tip of that, but it’s also utility costs, grocery costs, housing costs, all the things that Donald Trump promised to lower and that in fact, have increased.”
Sen. Peter Welch, Vermont Democrat, said that message was successfully used by candidates across the Democratic spectrum.
“The election showed convincingly the power of the affordability agenda, because you had Democrats ranging from a conservative in Georgia to a Democratic socialist [in New York], with Virginia and New Jersey in between,” he said.
Those were references to two Democrats knocking Republicans off the Georgia Public Service Commission, which regulates utility costs; democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani winning the New York City mayoral race; and Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill, former House Democrats who won gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, respectively.
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Senate Democrats have been filibustering a stopgap spending bill to reopen the government in an effort to get Republicans to negotiate on lowering health care costs. Their top demand is to extend enhanced premium tax credits, which help lower costs for consumers purchasing insurance on the Obamacare marketplaces.
Out-of-pocket premium costs will more than double, on average, if the enhanced subsidies, which were passed as a temporary measure during the COVID-19 lockdowns, expire this year as scheduled.
Democrats say consumers are beginning to feel the “sticker shock” after open enrollment began Saturday.
“They’re just scared to death of how they’re going to pay it, and they know that Democrats are fighting for them and Republicans are doing nothing, nothing to address the health care crisis,” said Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat. “And last night, Republicans felt the political repercussions.”
President Trump acknowledged that the government shutdown “was a big factor, negative for the Republicans” in the elections, even though they weren’t expecting victories in blue-leaning New Jersey, New York and Virginia.
Mr. Schumer cited those comments and said the election results should serve as “a bolt of lightning and a wake-up call to Donald Trump to start working with [Democrats] to end this crisis.”
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He and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, also a New York Democrat, sent the president a letter Wednesday morning requesting a meeting with him to begin health care negotiations to end the shutdown.
Other Senate Democrats said they hoped the election results would convince Mr. Trump to negotiate.
“He’s the only person right now that can wake up and recognize that if they continue down this path, it’s going to be the end of his presidency,” said Sen. Andy Kim, New Jersey Democrat.
In the meantime, a bipartisan group of rank-and-file senators is continuing their own discussions about how to end the shutdown.
Those talks have focused on advancing full-year appropriations bills in conjunction with reopening the government and guaranteeing at least a vote on extending the enhanced Obamacare subsidies.
Senate Democrats have been divided on whether securing a vote would be enough.
Most in the caucus say they want to guarantee the subsidies are extended and that a promise to vote does not ensure the result they want.
Republican leaders have repeatedly said they would only negotiate the details of a potential health care deal after the government is reopened and they couldn’t guarantee an outcome.
“I think the reason they’re negotiating over process is because they know that they can rig the process and make sure that the outcome never happens,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, Connecticut Democrat.
He said Democrats shouldn’t accept that and noted Tuesday’s election results “are having an impact” among his colleagues who appeared willing to concede.
“It would be very strange for the American people to have weighed in, in support of Democrats, standing up and fighting for them, and within days for us to surrender without having achieved any of the things that we’ve been fighting for,” Mr. Murphy said.
Most of the bipartisan negotiators were mum about their stances.
“There are still good discussions,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire Democrat, when asked whether the election results changed anything in the shutdown talks.
Sen. Jacky Rosen, Nevada Democrat, said the underlying request for Republicans to negotiate hasn’t changed.
“We’re asking what we’ve always been asking for: Come to the table and figure out a solution that makes sure that everyone has a dignity to go to the damn doctor,” she said.
• Susan Ferrechio contributed to this report.
