US GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN ENDS AFTER DEMOCRATS TAKE A STAND, THEN CONCEDE THEIR DEMANDS

by Nicholas Patti

November 14, 2025, Wake Forest, NC—As the longest US government shutdown dragged on for weeks upon weeks, costs mounted. Millions of airline passengers faced delays and cancellations ahead of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday and travel rush. Food stamps for 42 million hungry Americans were at risk of not being paid. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers were seeing paycheck after paycheck of zero pay. In the national, off-year, local elections on November 4^th, 2025, Democrats punished Republicans at the polls with an electoral sweep. Apparently, voters blamed Republicans more than Democrats for the shutdown.

Then, a compromise emerged, and the shutdown came to an end. Eight Senate Democrats, including one independent, conceded the Democratic demand of funding for the expiring Obamacare premium subsidies. They were offered a vote on the issue on the Senate floor, sometime in December. Republicans achieved exactly the 60-vote threshold they needed to pass a new temporary funding bill in the Senate, and finally, after all that pain, suffering, and hardship for the American people, Congress was on-track to end the shutdown. The shutdown ended November 12^th, 2025, after the US House passed the legislation, and President Donald Trump signed it into law that very night. The shutdown had lasted 43 days, the longest in US history, and it was finally over.

In this essay, I will ask the critical question, for Democrats, was the shutdown worth it? Was the shutdown a good political ploy for their party, and did it achieve any policy goals? For the Republicans, I will inquire as to whether the outcome of the shutdown vindicated their position from the beginning, and did they win or lose, politically, after all was said and done? I will examine their claim, oft-repeated, that immigrants were to blame for the shutdown. I will respond to the language Republicans used in making this argument about the immigrants and the shutdown. I will consider who was to blame for the shutdown, Democrats or Republicans, after weeks of finger-pointing and blame, back-and-forth, as the shutdown dragged on. Finally, I will conclude with an answer to the question, was it worth it, ultimately, for the Democrats to take a stand against President Trump and the Republicans in Congress, and to shut down the government with their votes. Were the moderate Democrats right in crossing party lines to end the shutdown, or should they have held with the progressives and the majority of the Democratic Party to vote to keep the shutdown open, and the government closed, despite all of the pain felt by the American people? As they did in fact vote to end the shutdown, was this strategy worth it for the Democrats?

After the Republicans gained the 60 votes needed to end the shutdown without making any concessions on extending the subsidies for the Affordable Care Act insurance premiums, they claimed victory. In fact, they argued that the outcome vindicated their position from the very beginning of the shutdown. If the Democrats had voted that way six weeks ago, they could have spared the American people all the pain and suffering of the shutdown, in the first place. In this view, Republicans argued, the shutdown represented an extreme act of bad government and poor policy-making by the Democratic Party. However, Democrats placed the blame for the shutdown back on Republicans. Democrats pointed out that the Republican Party controls both houses of the US Congress and the Presidency, and that the responsibility rested with Republicans to pass legislation, and to open or close the government. As to the Democratic votes on the filibuster in the Senate, the Democrats argued that Republicans refused to negotiate with them at all on the issue of the Obamacare subsidies, and that therefore, the Republicans were to blame. As it turned out, the Republicans never conceded on that issue. Ultimately, the eight Democrats, including one independent, who voted with Republicans to re-open the government, gave up on negotiating with Republicans. In the words of Senator Angus King, independent of Maine, further negotiations with the Republicans on that issue would have been fruitless, since the Republicans were not budging on the issue. I agree that holding out longer for a concession from the Republicans on the Obamacare subsidies would have been pointless. Thus, it did prove to be that the Republican refusal to negotiate caused the Democrats to fail to reach an agreement with Republicans to re-open the government, and ultimately, that same Republican refusal to negotiate caused moderate Democrats to fold, ultimately, and to vote with Republicans to re-open the government. The pain experienced by the American people had grown too great, and it became time to re-open the government.

I believe that there was good reason for the Democrats to begin with a strong attempt at gaining the concessions on the Affordable Care Act from the Republicans, even if that Democratic effort proved fruitless, in the end. I think the Republican position from the beginning was not vindicated by the final outcome on the premium subsidies; the Democrats were justified in trying, even if they ultimately failed to win that outcome in the end in the Senate. It should be noted, however, that Republicans did promise to hold a vote on the Affordable Care Act subsidies by mid-December in the Senate. Moderate Democrats pointed to that concession as an opportunity to hold individual Republican senators accountable for their position for or against the skyrocketing premiums and the subsidies next year in the 2026 mid-term elections. Moderate Democrats plan to press the affordability issue in the mid-terms next year, if Republicans vote to end the subsidies. That vote in the Senate is expected to fail, as the Republicans have shown no interest in extending those subsidies, and the Republicans hold the majority. Democrats did win the ability to put individual Republican senators on-the-record, however, and build for a Democratic victory in the mid-terms (CNN, 11/9/2025; “Senate moves toward ending shutdown after Democratic defectors relent,” News & Observer, Raleigh, NC, digital edition, 11/10/2025; “US Senate compromise sets stage for end to government shutdown,” myEarthlink news, on-line, 11/10/2025).

The next question that arises, naturally, is, did the Republicans win or lose the shutdown, practically, in terms of policy, and politically. It is clear to me that the Republicans did win the shutdown, strictly in terms of policy. As I said above, the Republicans never conceded the Democrats’ primary demand, namely, extending the Obamacare health care subsidies. The moderate Democrats ended up conceding the issue to the Republicans, largely, and so the Republicans did “win” the shutdown. It should be noted, however, that the majority of Democrats voted against re-opening the government, in the end. Also, the Senate Minority Leader, Democrat Chuck Schumer, did vote against re-opening the government, as well. The Republicans only needed eight Democratic votes to win in the Senate, however, and the Republicans, ultimately, found those votes.

Politically, however, I think it is a different story. I think Democrats fared far better than Republicans, politically speaking. Polls showed the American people blaming the Republicans slightly more than the Democrats, 50% to Republicans, vs. 43% to Democrats, in one poll (Reuters/Ipsos, late October, myEarthlink, on-line, 11/10/2025). In the election, however, the story was clearer. There, in the national, off-year elections of November 4^th, Democrats destroyed the Republicans. Democrats won the Governors of New Jersey and Virginia by wide margins, as well as electing a Democratic Party socialist mayor of New York City. In California, Prop 50 to redraw the legislative districts to favor Democrats in that state also passed. Democrats won every single significant electoral plum up for grabs in that national election, and by wide margins in New Jersey and Virginia.

U.S. Congress, Washington, DC
© Alisonh29 | http://www.stockfreeimages.com

Even President Trump admitted defeat in that election. President Trump attributed the Republican losses in the election, in part, to the shutdown. He believed that the voters blamed the Republicans more for the shutdown than the Democrats. That blame game cost the Republicans at the polls, according to Trump. Also, President Trump claimed that the other reason the Republicans lost that election was that President Trump, himself, was not on the ballot. The election showed a clear Republican political loss, stemming from the shutdown.

Having said that, I would like to point out that achieving a policy victory, as the Republicans did in the end, is always a plus, politically. The policy victory from the shutdown was a political win for President Trump and the Republican Party. It can only be a mixed bag for the Republicans, however, in sum, since they performed so poorly, in fact, in the election, held near the end of the shutdown. What is more, depending on how Congress acts on the Affordable Care Act subsidies over the next year, the policy win could be very short-lived: Democrats can win on that issue, highlighting the affordability issue, heading into next year’s mid-terms. Control of Congress is at stake, then.

Next up is the question of the immigrants and the shutdown. Republican leadership claimed, repeatedly, that the Democratic position was to try to spend $1.5 trillion to fund illegal immigrants to receive public health benefits. That was the reason the Democrats shut down the government, in this Republican misrepresentation of the Democrats position. The Democratic response, spoken by Senator Chuck Schumer, was that that claim was blatantly false. The Democrats were not fighting for free health care for immigrants who are here illegally. Schumer pointed out that none of the recipients of the Affordable Care Act subsidies are illegal immigrants. They are not eligible to receive this benefit in the first place, according to Schumer. The issue for the Democrats was not the inclusion of immigrants who are here illegally, but rather the extension of the premium subsidies, themselves, for the millions of Americans who are already receiving them. I agree with Senator Chuck Schumer. The immigrants were not the issue (CNN).

I have a note on the language Republicans used in making this argument about the immigrants’ blame for the shutdown. President Trump and the House Speaker, Republican Mike Johnson referred to the immigrants as simply “illegals” or “illegal aliens” (CNN). This is a slur against these people. This language defines this whole group of people, and each person within that group, solely by their immigration status. I can counter this language by recalling a slogan I heard at a pro-immigrant rights rally in New York City, several years ago. The chant was, “No One Is Illegal!”

Now, on to the questions for the Democrats. First, was the shutdown a good strategy for the Democrats, politically? I discussed the election results, earlier in this essay. Democrats won at the ballot-box this year. On the question of the upcoming mid-terms, next year, Democrats cannot claim a policy victory on extending the Affordable Care Act subsidies this year. If the Republicans fail to extend the subsidies later this year, and next year, then the Democrats can hold the Republicans in Congress accountable for the spiking costs of health care under the Affordable Care Act. In the US Senate, the Democrats won a vote on the issue, this December. Those senators can be held personally responsible for their votes, when next year’s mid-term elections roll around. Thus, while Democrats cannot claim a direct policy victory out of this shutdown exercise, they can hold Republicans accountable in next year’s mid-terms.

Should the moderate Democrats have broken with the rest of their party and voted with Republicans to re-open the government, or should they have held out for another chance to sway the Republican majority into extending the subsidies? The refrain for the moderate Democrats who voted this way, in the end, was that the costs of the shutdown grew too painful for the American people to hold out any longer. The benefit of extending the subsidies was out of reach, given the Republican intransigence, and causing more pain for the American people would be pointless. I agree. I break with the progressives in the Democratic Party who blamed the moderates for voting this way, and Senator Chuck Schumer, for failing to hold the party together in opposition to voting to re-open the government. Progressives blamed Chuck Schumer for the moderate Democratic votes even though Schumer himself voted against the compromise to re-open the government. I think this blame is misplaced. Also, with millions of Americans potentially going hungry with the SNAP benefit cuts, the millions of air travelers stuck in US airports and going nowhere, and the hundreds of thousands of federal employees going more than six weeks without pay, I think the costs of the shutdown were mounting. I agree with the moderate Democrats that the costs became too great for the American people. While I support the Democratic effort to obtain those health care subsidies in the first place, I think that, eventually, the costs became too great to carry on the fight any longer. It only made sense, to me, to re-open the government, at that point.

In sum, was the government shutdown worth it for the Democrats to have waged, in the first place? Was it worth it for the Democrats to take a stand against President Donald Trump and the Republican party that controls all three branches of the federal government, and in particular, the Congress, at this time? My answer is yes, it was worth it. After the passage of the so-called Big Beautiful Bill in Congress, into law, last summer, the shutdown was worth it. That legislation slashed over $1 trillion dollars from Medicaid and food stamps, aside from this shutdown. On top of that, the Affordable Care Act subsidies are expiring this year. In addition to the previous cuts, millions of Americans would see their health care premiums skyrocketing under Obamacare, this year. Republicans had been attacking the Affordable Care Act for over ten years, and now, with majorities in both houses of Congress, they are defunding it. It could be argued that it was critical for the Democrats to take a stand on this issue, alone, at this time. Democrats argued that these shutdown votes on the so-called “clean CR” put forward by the Republicans was their only leverage in the federal government, at this time, and the Democrats were right.

I applaud the Democrats for taking a stand, in the first place, and I applaud the moderate Democrats for having the common sense to vote to re-open the government, after the shutdown became the longest in US history, and the costs to the American people just became too great.

Although the Democratic Party is divided on ending the shutdown, the way it worked out may benefit the Democrats, as a whole, politically. First, Democrats took a stand, as their base was demanding, especially after all of President Trump’s victories this year. Second, in the national election on November 4^th, near the end of the shutdown, as the costs were mounting on the American people, the Democrats clobbered the Republicans, nationally. Next, since the government re-opened, the Democrats would not be blamed for keeping the government closed as the pain was mounting on the American people. Moderate Democrats deserve credit for this decision. Finally, leading up to next year’s mid-term election, Democrats can hold Republicans accountable for spiking health care costs on the issue of affordability. Affordability was a key issue in this year’s elections. It will probably remain an issue into next year’s midterms. If the Republicans fail to extend the Obamacare subsidies, or fail to come up with some other solution to the rising health care costs for Americans under the Affordable Care Act, then Democrats can clobber the Republicans again next year in the mid-terms on the issue of affordability, in general.

As the shutdown turned out, the political winds can favor the Democrats, significantly, heading into next year’s mid-terms. All the Democrats need to do is to play their cards right, from here on out. In conclusion, the Democrats needed to take a stand, and they were right in taking this stand. By conceding the shutdown, in the end, the Democrats, and in particular, the moderate Democrats, deserve credit for bringing us all out of this mess. Simply put, the shutdown had grown too costly to continue any further. Yes, the shutdown was worth it for the Democrats. If they play their cards right from here on out, the shutdown will have been worth it, politically, as well, for the Democrats, heading into next year’s mid-term elections.

—Nicholas Patti

Wake Forest, NC

USA

Additional Sources:

CNN, television, 11/9/2025, 11/12/2025, October, November, 2025; radio, SiriusXM, 10/25, 11/25.

News and Observer, Raleigh, NC: “Congress votes to end shutdown as NC Dem breaks with party in vote for bill,” 11/13/2025, digital edition, newsobserver.com; “Senate moves toward ending shutdown after Democratic defectors relent,” 11/10/2025, digital edition, newsobserver.com.

New York Times, New York, NY: “Food Aid Halt Shatters Faith in Safety Net,” 11/13/2025, p. A1, print edition.

myEarthlink news, on-line: “US government opens back up but deep political divisions remain,” Reuters, 11/13/2025; “US Senate compromise sets stage for end to government shutdown,” 11/10/2025.

WRAL news, WRAL, WRAL+, Raleigh, NC, 2025, NBC, television news.

ABC news, 2025, television

HOPE FOR DEMOCRATS FROM NORTH CAROLINA

March 27, 2025, Wake Forest, NC—Coming out of last Fall’s national election, Democrats can find hope at the state level, including North Carolina. In particular, Democratic NC Governor Josh Stein was elected and is starting his first term, and Democratic NC Attorney General Jeff Jackson won and has since assumed some influence in national politics. The federal level is dominated by Republicans and US President Donald Trump, who began his second term with a whirlwind of executive orders taken right from Project 2025, a far-right, reactionary policy platform that President Trump completely denied any connection to during his election campaign last year.

At the state level, here in North Carolina, however, we now have a sense of where incoming Democratic Governor Josh Stein is taking his first term. In addition, we see how the newly-elected Democratic Attorney General Jeff Jackson is challenging the Trump administration in federal courts to help stall Trump’s reactionary political agenda. In particular, Jackson has enjoined the State of North Carolina to several federal lawsuits countering Trump’s agenda, including specifically, a lawsuit countering an effort by President Trump to amend the US constitution by executive order on the issue of birthright citizenship for children of immigrants.

On day one of President Donald Trump’s second term, he signed an executive order ending birthright citizenship for children of immigrants. Immediately thereafter, several Democratic-leaning states challenged his order in court with a federal lawsuit. In North Carolina, a purple state, newly-elected, Democratic NC Attorney General Jeff Jackson joined those lawsuits. Referring to the Fourteenth Amendment, ratified in 1868, which enshrines citizenship as a constitutional right for all children born in America, Jackson was quoted as saying, “The Constitution leaves no room for executive reinterpretation on this matter—it is clear, settled, and binding. This order seeks to undermine that clarity, creating legal uncertainty and denying fundamental rights to children born in this country” (News & Observer, on-line, newsobserver.com, 1/21/2025; News & Observer, on-line, newsobserver.com, 3/14/2025).

Specifically, President Trump’s order would bar citizenship to any children born in the United States to parents without at least one parent being a citizen or legal permanent resident. Birthright citizenship has been recognized as an established legal right for the children of immigrants in America since the law was upheld by the US Supreme Court in 1898 in the case, United States v. Wong Kim Ark (News & Observer, on-line, newsobserver.com, 1/21/2025). Donald Trump’s executive order would deny this constitutional right and overturn over a century of US legal precedent.

I think President Trump’s executive order would deny a large part of who we are as Americans. While I acknowledge that cracking down on immigration was a central plank of Trump’s election campaign last year, I think we, as Americans, are still a nation of immigrants. The Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor attests to this aspect of American life, in the famous inscription on the statue: “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” Donald Trump misunderstood this message; he follows the old joke, instead: “Regarding your poor, your tired, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. Send them my regards.”

As Americans, we must oppose this rights-grab by executive order by Donald Trump. I support North Carolina AG Jeff Jackson’s legal effort, with the 17 other states enjoined to the lawsuit, to overturn this executive order.

The current status of this executive order is that it has been suspended by the federal courts. It will be heard, ultimately, by the US Supreme Court, which will rule on the matter. I can hardly believe that President Trump is attempting to amend the US Constitution by executive order, as affirmed by the US Supreme Court. Last I checked, there exists a drawn-out process for amending the US constitution, which President Trump lacks the political support to achieve in the US Congress or in ¾ of the State legislatures. I only hope that level heads prevail at the US Supreme Court, and the Court chooses not to overturn this basic right for Americans, and not to overturn more than one century of legal precedent in this country.

Our Democratic party hero in North Carolina, NC Attorney General Jeff Jackson, is not entirely in the clear on this lawsuit in North Carolina, however. The Republican majorities in both houses of the NC State legislature have introduced bills to remove his authority to file any lawsuit against the Trump administration in Washington. North Carolina is, of course, a purple state. On March 11, the NC Senate passed a version of this bill. It all comes down to one vote in the NC House. In the NC House, Republicans fall one vote short of a supermajority needed to override the Governor’s veto. If the NC House passes this bill in the near future, as I expect it will, the question becomes, will the Governor veto it? The newly-elected Democratic Governor, NC’s Josh Stein, I believe will probably veto the legislation, I hope. If Gov. Stein vetoes the bills, then it all comes down to one vote in the NC House, on whether the Republican-led legislature can override that veto. If so, then North Carolina would be removed from that federal lawsuit. If not, then NC AG Jeff Jackson can continue to be the Democratic hero from the State of North Carolina that he is now. Jackson could continue to defend our basic rights as Americans from his perch as AG in North Carolina. I hope Jackson will be able to remain a party to his federal lawsuits, including this one, and will be allowed to continue to challenge the Trump administration in court. North Carolina is a purple state, and the battle in North Carolina will be close (News & Observer, 3/23/2025, p. 19A, print edition; News & Observer, on-line, newsobserver.com, 3/14/2025).

This political battle highlights how important in North Carolina the recent election of NC Governor Josh Stein, a Democrat, is, in addition to the election of the Democratic Attorney General. Without Josh Stein, a Democrat, in the Governor’s office, the Republicans would be able to easily block Jeff Jackson from entering this and other federal lawsuits. That is the glimmer of hope for Democrats in the recent national election in the State of North Carolina.

Now, we are seeing how incoming Democratic Governor Josh Stein’s first term is looking, on its own terms, as well. Josh Stein’s first priority was not Washington, in fact, but North Carolina. Stein’s top priority was rebuilding Western North Carolina after the damage wrought by Hurricane Helene. To that end, Stein signed his first piece of legislation into law, working with the Republicans in the State legislature, last week. That state law provides the fourth round of state funding for recovery from Hurricane Helene. Providing funds for recovery to Western North Carolina remains Gov. Josh Stein’s top priority, and he receives largely bi-partisan support on the issue (News & Observer, 3/23/2025, p. 19A, print edition).

On Wednesday, March 19, Governor Stein presented his first budget to the NC General Assembly and the public at-large. Stein found some agreement and some disagreement on various issues within North Carolina from the Republicans who lead both houses of the State Assembly. On the famous Democratic Party issue of teacher pay, going back to the former NC Governor, Democrat Roy Cooper, Stein has found agreement from NC Republicans. Stein wishes to raise starting teacher pay to $53,000 by 2027, according to Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan, writing in the News & Observer (3/23/2025, p. 19A, print edition). Stein wants North Carolina to be “the highest in the Southeast.” Similarly, Republican NC House Speaker Destin Hall was quoted as saying in the News & Observer that he wants North Carolina to be “as highly ranked in the South as we can be” (3/23/2025, p. 19A, print edition). I hope Stein and the Republican leadership in North Carolina can make significant headway in raising teacher pay in North Carolina.

Gov. Stein and Republicans in North Carolina disagree on private school vouchers, state income taxes, and a statewide school bond issue. Gov. Stein has also drawn attention to the federal effort in Congress by Republican leadership there to cut Medicaid funding. If the federal government cuts Medicaid by $880 billion, then North Carolina would see its Medicaid expansion evaporate. This issue took ten years of wrangling to adopt in North Carolina, and it would be gone in a breath, if Republicans in the US Congress slash the program. NC Gov. Stein mentioned this in his first State of the State address earlier this year, but has not made it an issue otherwise in North Carolina, at this time.

Governor Josh Stein’s first term is coming into vision, now that his first proposed budget has been released. We are looking at June for the NC legislature to pass its budget, and then send the budget to Gov. Stein for his signature. This timeline is only tentative, I should note, however, since the Republicans in the NC state legislature have been known to disagree with themselves, and pass extremely late budgets, in the recent past. In any case, business in North Carolina this year seems to be proceeding at a regular pace, under Governor Josh Stein and the Republican legislature, with or without US President Donald Trump.

That being said, Democrats are lucky to have elected their own party in the Governor’s office and the NC Attorney General’s office this past year. The Democrats in the executive branch of North Carolina are currently able to provide a counter-weight to President Donald Trump’s reactionary agenda in Washington this year. North Carolina remains a purple state, but the Democrats here will not remain silent.

On the issue of birthright citizenship, for example, as currently guaranteed in the US Constitution, Democrats in North Carolina have joined the fight against President Trump. Time will tell whether NC Attorney General Jeff Jackson will be able to stay in this court battle, and time will tell how much of President Donald Trump’s agenda will stand or fall in the halls and the courts of Washington, DC. I hope we can block Trump’s reactionary agenda.

—Nicholas Patti

Wake Forest, NC

USA

Additional Sources:

News and Observer, Raleigh, NC: 3/23/2025, p. 19A, print edition; 1/21/2025, on-line, newsobserver.com; “Will the Supreme Court Overturn Birthright Citizenship? What to know,” 3/14/2025, on-line, newsobserver.com; 2/27/2025, on-line, newsobserver.com; “NC Republicans move fast on DOGE, DEI, Helene, immigration. How 2025 session is playing out,” 3/14/2025, on-line, newsobserver.com.

WRAL news, WRAL, WRAL+, Raleigh, NC, 2025, NBC, television news.

CNN, 2025.

ABC news, 2025, television news.

Victories in Government in Washington and North Carolina this November

December 5, 2021, Raleigh, NC—Sometimes government gets things done, despite itself, and despite the ongoing, internecine partisan bickering that marks most of the life of government in America.

This November represented such a moment for America, and for the State of North Carolina, in particular. This November marked such a moment, a time when government took care of the people’s business, a time when rare bipartisanship prevailed in North Carolina with the adoption of a new state budget after three years of partisan wrangling. This real result bodes well for the political future of Democratic Governor Roy Cooper. In Washington, the story was not so much about bipartisanship, but about Democratic Party unity, following a poor showing this year for the Democrats in this year’s national election. This legislative result should bode well for President Biden’s next big legislative priority, the social spending bill, up for consideration this December, and it should bode well for the Democrats’ hopefully improved chances at putting forth a better showing in next year’s more significant mid-term national elections. Nationally and in the statehouse in North Carolina, the Democrats got things done. In North Carolina, the Republican leaders of the State legislature can claim credit, too.

Two years ago, in 2019, I wrote a post on this blog in which I excoriated Governor Cooper and the Republican leaders of the North Carolina State legislature for not agreeing to a budget to cover that year, 2019 (“North Carolina Still Without Budget, But I-77 Express Lanes in Charlotte Open,” nickpattifeatures.com, 11/18/2019). Two more years passed, and finally, this past November, North Carolina political leaders agreed on and passed a budget. Writing in the News & Observer, of Raleigh, NC, Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan noted that it had been three years since the State had passed a budget. “In the end,” Vaughan wrote, “the spending plan had passed because after three years with no budget compromise, lawmakers of both parties and their constituents had run out of patience for any more delay, especially after the long-running coronavirus pandemic” (News and Observer, Raleigh, NC, 11/26-27/2021, p. 1A). She credited, also, the Democrats on the committee in 2021 who pushed for adoption and compromise, even though the budget failed to meet long-standing Democratic Party demands in North Carolina. Finally, on November 18, 2021, Governor Cooper signed the state budget into law (News and Observer, Raleigh, NC, 11/19-20/2021, p. 2A).

If it took that long to pass the budget, what caused the delay? What was so important that lawmakers could not agree for so long? Two issues stood out and caused disagreement. One: Medicaid expansion to cover the working poor. Two: teacher pay. On Medicaid expansion, we are talking about an estimated, roughly 634,000 people in North Carolina who have failed to gain Medicaid eligibility since 2019, according to Elizabeth Thompson, writing in the News and Observer (Raleigh, NC, 7/11/2019, on-line). Under Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act, the federal government gives states the option to expand Medicaid coverage to the working poor, or people who fall in what is called the “coverage gap.” That is the group of people whose income is too high for Medicaid guidelines, but too little to receive federal subsidies to help with the cost of private insurance. Without state-level Medicaid expansion, these hundreds of thousands of people in North Carolina would continue to rely exclusively on hospital emergency rooms only for all of their medical care. They generally do not have a primary care doctor, either (News and Observer, Raleigh, NC, 7/11/2019, on-line). Anyone can see how this situation is unacceptable for working people, or anyone, but it remains the reality. This issue was a top sticking point for Governor Roy Cooper, since the Republican leadership of the NC House would not allow Medicaid expansion to provide coverage for these people. In the final budget that was adopted in November, 2021, NC Democrats still failed to obtain Medicaid expansion. Governor Roy Cooper has said he agrees with many parts of the new state budget, but would fight on in the future for those parts not included. “I will sign this budget, because on balance the good outweighs the bad,” Governor Cooper was quoted as saying in the News and Observer (Raleigh, NC, 11/26/2021, p. 14A). “While I believe that it is a budget of some missed opportunities and misguided policy, it is also a budget that we desperately need at this unique time in the history of our state.” Furthermore, Gov. Cooper said that the budget included many things that he deemed “critical to our state’s progress as we are emerging from this pandemic” (News and Observer, Raleigh, NC, 11/26-27/2021, p. 14A; 11/18/2021, p. 1A).

Although Medicaid expansion was not included in the 2021 budget, the North Carolina legislature will form a committee to study the issue for the future. With one estimate at $1.2 billion in federal funding to cover Medicaid expansion in 2022, if President Biden’s social spending bill passes, this committee could lead to adoption of Medicaid expansion in the future (News and Observer, Raleigh, NC, 12/1/2021, p. 5A). Currently, North Carolina is one of only 12 states, mostly in the Southeast, which have not expanded Medicaid. North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger has already changed his mind, now supporting Medicaid expansion. Previously, he was concerned about the cost of the expansion. Now, he was quoted as saying, “I just don’t think the fiscal concerns I’ve had in the past about the cost of expansion are things to be worried about” (News and Observer, Raleigh, NC, 12/1/2021, p. 5A). Although the state failed to adopt Medicaid expansion at this time, there is hope that it will in the near future.

On teacher pay raises, the two sides compromised, and agreed on a number. This number ended up at 5% pay raises over two years, plus bonuses, and more for teachers in rural counties. Most state workers will also see a raise of 5% over two years, as well (News and Observer, Raleigh, NC, 12/1/2021, p. 6A).

The 2021 NC budget represented a compromise, but a good compromise. What is more, the Republican legislative leaders and Gov. Roy Cooper came together and took care of the people’s business, which on the state level, begins with the adoption of a state budget.

All of this bodes well for Governor Roy Cooper’s political future. The Governor is in his second and final term, thanks to term limits. His future could include becoming the leader of the Democratic Governors Association, according to Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan of the News and Observer (Raleigh, NC, 11/26-27/2021, p. 14A). Currently, Gov. Cooper serves as the vice chair of that organization.

Equally important, I would argue, is how Gov. Cooper looks, following his performance leading the purple state, North Carolina, through three years without a budget, and finally reaching agreement with the Republican leadership in the legislature this year. Actually, I think that the Governor looks pretty good. Previously, he looked awful, for not being able to reach any agreement or compromise, and for leading the State without finishing the most basic of business, adopting a State budget. This is primary on the state level throughout the United States, for any single, individual state. This is the single most important piece of the people’s business that each state in the Union must attend to. Failure to do so is failing on the most basic responsibility of the people’s business on the state level. The Governor looked pretty bad on this score, until, that is, he reached a compromise with NC Republicans, and found a budget that he and North Carolina Democrats could live with.

What is even more important, I would argue, is why it took so long for Governor Cooper to attain responsible state government, with a current budget. That reason is he was fighting for the working poor of his State, North Carolina, to achieve coverage and access to health care, as newly allowed and encouraged by the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. The pressure is even greater from the federal level now, with the federal government promising to fund most of the expenses for the states (News and Observer, Raleigh, NC, 12/1/2021, p. 5A). It really is an outrage that we still do not have health insurance coverage or adequate health care for the working poor of North Carolina. We still need Medicaid expansion to provide that care and access. According to a study in 2019, we are talking about an estimated 600,000-plus people in North Carolina alone who lack that coverage and access to adequate health care (News and Observer, Raleigh, NC, 7/11/2019, on-line). This is truly a noble fight. It is about basic access to health care, especially during the pandemic and during the recovery from the pandemic. I think Governor Roy Cooper is and was justified in taking on this fight, both for himself and for the State of North Carolina. Three years without a state budget is a steep price to pay to stand up for your values. I recommended compromise two years ago, in 2019, in an earlier post on this blog (“North Carolina Still Without Budget, But I-77 Express Lanes in Charlotte Open,” nickpattifeatures.com, 11/18/2019). With the government of North Carolina finally having reached compromise and having achieved a state budget this past November, this fight for basic health care for the working poor looks much better. Governor Roy Cooper did everything in his power to fight this good fight, and although he failed to win on this score, he made significant progress toward this goal in North Carolina, and he still took care of the State’s core business, the budget, in retrospect, as well. More work needs to be done. Hopefully, this new committee, combined with a more welcoming view on the issue from at least one leading state Republican, State Senate leader Phil Berger, can lead to the ultimate adoption of Medicaid expansion. Then we can fill in that crack in the foundation with concrete, properly, and prevent hundreds of thousands of working people in North Carolina from falling through that crack, regarding basic access to adequate health care and regarding finally obtaining health insurance for themselves, where they currently still lack access, even under Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act. I think this current situation remains unconscionable. Governor Roy Cooper was right to prioritize this fight, and to continue that fight into the future.

Governor Cooper looks good, as of this past November, and he has now a political future. I wish him the best, for the remainder of his current term, and in whatever endeavor he pursues, after that.

In reaching this agreement on adopting a state budget in North Carolina, elected officials of both parties, Democrat and Republican, finally took care of the people’s business in North Carolina. Although they had been mostly squabbling over this and other issues over the past three years, this past November, they came together, reached an agreement, a compromise, and fulfilled their core responsibility in State government. This November marked a rare moment of bipartisanship in North Carolina, and it was desperately needed.

Now, both parties are returning to their former, usual, partisan ways. Just this past Thursday, December 2^nd, Governor Cooper vetoed a Republican-backed bill regarding election integrity or voting rights and ballot access, depending on your perspective (News and Observer, Raleigh, NC, 12/3/2021, p. 2A). Aside from your opinion on this issue, my point is that the two parties disagreed once again on this key issue in North Carolina, and thus, basically, returned to partisan squabbling, once again. One outlook for the near future in North Carolina is that the entire NC General Assembly is up for re-election in 2022. That is 170 seats. Up in the air is the possibility that Republicans may or may not need any Democratic votes to override any of Gov. Cooper’s future vetoes, depending on whether NC Republicans win back a supermajority, or not. That is up for grabs in next year’s 2022 elections, according to Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan of the News and Observer (Raleigh, NC, 11/26-27/2021, p. 14A). I support the Democrats in 2022 in North Carolina, and I hope both parties can find it inside themselves in the State to adopt, finally, Medicaid expansion for the working poor.

In Washington, DC, the story was not so much about bipartisanship as it was about Democratic Party unity. Here, however, continued party unity into December, this month, is anybody’s guess. Similar to the bipartisanship in North Carolina, the Democratic Party unity we witnessed in November may well turn out to have been a fleeting phenomenon.

In Washington, DC, Congress passed and President Joe Biden signed the $1 trillion infrastructure bill into law. This law passed along strict party lines. Prior to the national elections on November 2^nd, Democrats were divided, internally, with the progressives and the moderates at odds over the bill. After the election, in which they underperformed, Democrats found the unity to pass President Biden’s infrastructure bill. Next comes President Biden’s even larger social spending package, up for consideration this December. Although Democrats in Washington found unity to pass the infrastructure bill in November, the jury is out whether they can do the same on the social spending bill in December. For the sake of accomplishing President Joe Biden’s agenda, and for the sake of putting forth a better showing for voters ahead of next year’s mid-term elections, I hope the Democrats pass President Joe Biden’s social spending package. The Democrats’ fate next year in the mid-terms may hang in the balance (New York Times, 11/6/2021, p. A1; 11/4/2021, p.A15; “Democratic Voters See Many Losers in Party Schism, and One Winner: Trump,” New York Times, 10/3/2021).

For their part, Republicans were opposed to President Joe Biden’s and the Democrats’ national agenda, marked as it is by large amounts of new federal spending. US Senator Pat Toomey, a Republican from Pennsylvania, put it this way, as quoted in the Wall Street Journal on CNN, “They [the Democrats] are in the midst of an absolutely unprecedented, very damaging spending spree on a scale that we have never seen,” he said. “And they want us to come along and authorize the borrowing to help pay for it when we are totally opposed to what they’re doing” (Wall Street Journal, 9/27/2021, p. A1).

The Democrats’ victory in Washington in passing President Biden’s infrastructure bill in November followed party lines, and was adopted over the protest of the Republican Party. More Democratic Party unity will be required to overcome Republican opposition to President Joe Biden’s social spending bill this December.

Democrats have already won in the US House. On November 19, the House passed the $2 trillion social spending bill, sending it over for consideration to the Senate. “The House on Friday narrowly passed the centerpiece of President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda, approving $2 trillion in spending over the next decade to battle climate change, expand health care and reweave the nation’s social safety net, over the unanimous opposition of Republicans,” wrote Emily Cochran and Jonathan Weisman of the New York Times (“House Narrowly Passes Biden’s Social Safety Net and Climate Bill,” 11/19/2021).

It is imperative for Democrats to pass this bill in the Senate, and for President Joe Biden to sign it into law, if they are to position themselves for not a loss, but a victory in next year’s mid-term national elections. In the above quote, Cochran and Weisman describe this $2 trillion social spending bill as “the centerpiece” of his agenda. With the poor showing in this year’s national elections, Democrats need to show the voters of the United States that they can deliver, when they control the Congress and the Presidency, as they do now. Otherwise, the Democrats will be seen as a do-nothing party, a party of squabbling factions who cannot achieve their agenda. Republicans would gain from this next year, even more than they already did in this year’s election.

Already, progressive Democrats are breaking from the President and moderate Democrats. President Biden seems unable to pass through Congress, over the unified Republican opposition, any more serious Democratic priorities. These initiatives include proposed legislation on voting rights reform, federally, criminal justice reform, defending abortion rights, increasing the federal minimum wage to $15./hour, and repairing a “broken” immigration system, according to the New York Times (“Democrats Struggle to Energize Their Base as Frustrations Mount,” 11/27/2021). Democrats are seen as falling short of some campaign promises, and “leaving their base unsatisfied and unmotivated before next year’s midterm elections,” according to the New York Times (11/27/2021).

With the Democratic base already uninspired about Democratic victories, it becomes even more imperative that Democrats, nationally, deliver on those legislative priorities that they can, in fact, deliver on. Democrats must pass the “centerpiece” of President Biden’s agenda, the social spending bill, especially if they cannot enact any of these deeper social reforms, nationally. The base is already failing to follow the Democratic Party lead. The voters beyond the Democratic base may question, also, whether the Democratic Party can achieve really anything when they have the opportunity, such as now, to do so. All of these reasons point to the political imperative for the Democrats to pass President’s Biden’s agenda, as much as politically possible, in order to prepare better for next year’s, 2022 mid-term national elections.

In November, 2021, however, we witnessed a moment of Democratic Party unity in Washington, DC. They came together and passed the $1 trillion infrastructure bill, which included economic and infrastructure investments, and an effort to respond to global warming (New York Times, 11/6/2021, p. A1). Time will tell if the Democrats can continue that party unity into December.

November, 2021, represented a moment of Democratic Party unity in Washington, and a moment of bipartisan achievement in the State of North Carolina. Elected officials were able to accomplish new legislation and take care of the people’s business in Washington and North Carolina this past November. Republicans in Washington would beg to differ. I understand that. The jury is out, however, on whether the Democrats in Washington can continue to deliver, and thus put forward a good face for voters next year, or not. In North Carolina, while I commend both political parties, Democrats and Republicans, for their bipartisan achievement this past November, I doubt sincerely whether that spirit of bipartisanship will continue. In North Carolina, although significant Democratic priorities will probably remain blocked, thanks largely to partisan differences, there remains some hope that one such priority, Medicaid expansion, can be achieved, after the current process of deeper reflection in committee runs its course.

Government in America continues, at this time, largely as it had, previously. We see some accomplishment, and the continued fulfillment of the basic responsibility of government, but we see, also, ongoing partisan divides, and the ongoing inability to reach any deeper level of agreement, at this time. Deeper change remains elusive, but the continuation of the current political and social context appears self-evident.

The only exception I see to this conclusion is the most recent shift in the US Supreme Court on abortion. Roe v. Wade seems as though it may be, once again, in flux. Even then, this potentially significant political shift represents the continuation of an ongoing divide and social struggle in the United States.

Perhaps, after all, in the United States today, there is nothing new under the sun. Except, that is, when something new manages to emerge.

—Nicholas Patti

Raleigh, NC

USA