Eight Democratic Senators voted along with the GOP to open the Government. Was that naïve miscalculation or bipartisanship? Tactical wins can derail strategy.
A strategic loss?
Virginia Senator (D) Tim Kaine cast the final vote to side with Republicans and reopen the government. It may sound gallant — until you understand the full context. Democrats had refused to support this continuing resolution (CR) because it wasn’t clean. It included provisions that slashed funding for essential programs, including subsidies under the Affordable Care Act —negatively impacting millions of Americans.
Republicans told their base the CR was a “clean” carryover from the Biden-era budget. That’s misleading. The last full U.S. federal budget was enacted for Fiscal Year 2023, when Democrats controlled both the House and Senate. Since then, Congress has relied on CRs to avoid shutdowns and failing to pass a comprehensive budget. Republicans have held the majority in at least one chamber since 2023 — and both chambers since 2025 — yet no full budget has been passed. Let that sink in.
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At the same time, Republicans claimed the bill allocated billions for undocumented immigrants’ health benefits — also false. Which begs the question: if the Republicans were truly against it, why pressure Democrats to sign this CR? And how did it pass the Republican-controlled House in the first place? Make it make sense. It doesn’t. Once again, GOP Leadership misled their base — and anyone not paying close attention.
All this redacted truth comes despite the GOP controlling both chambers of Congress — and effectively all three branches. Yet Republicans failed to produce a formal budget. Instead, the continuing resolution passed the House on a 217–213 vote, largely along party lines — with one Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden (D-CO), voting with Republicans, and one Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), voting with Democrats. Each party had one member not vote. The CR included provisions that mirrored Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s blueprint for hard-right governance. Coincidence?
In case it wasn’t clear: Senator Kaine joined six other Democrats and one Independent to vote for a bill that advanced the Heritage Foundation’s wish list — a project so unpopular that Trump publicly distanced himself from it during his campaign, despite abrasively incorporating it into his second term from day one. After 40 days of suffering, Democrats surrendered their leverage. From here, any future deal risks being shut down by the House, and even if it reaches Trump’s desk, it could be vetoed. Either way, we’re stuck with this unclean CR. Checkmate!
Have you read Project 2025? Most folks haven’t.
It should’ve been required reading before voting in 2024 — and absolutely before voting for this continuing resolution.
Educating the Naïve Senators
The eight Democrat-caucus Senators who sided with Republicans justified their vote by claiming they were promised a future “opportunity” to help shape a new budget. If you believe that promise, I’ve got a bridge to sell you. The Speaker of the House already signaled that promise is dead on arrival — wrapped in the euphemism that he “can’t guarantee a vote.” Meanwhile, Republicans continue voting in lockstep with Trump, who was so distraught by the shutdown he threw a Great Gatsby party — while his administration fights in court to deny SNAP benefits to families in need.
There’s no scenario where Trump would sign a Democratic-drafted budget bill — even if it somehow passed both the House and Senate. It won’t. The shutdown itself was triggered by Senate gridlock, and Minority Leader Schumer was outmaneuvered — even by his own caucus — despite Democrats winning nationwide races that signaled bipartisan voter support. So let’s remember the names of the eight Democrats (including the Independent who caucuses with them) who voted with Republicans and now share responsibility for the suffering this bill sustains:
- Tim Kaine (D-VA)
- Maggie Hassan (D-NH)
- Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
- Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV)
- John Fetterman (D-PA)
- Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
- Angus King (I-ME) (caucuses with Democrats)
- Dick Durbin (D-IL)
Many of us understand the damage a government shutdown inflicts on America — and we oppose it. I’ve written extensively about it. But by capitulating under a non-sequitur, the narrative flipped overnight: “Democrats could’ve stopped the suffering all along, but they waited 40 days and cost America $14 billion in lost GDP,” according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Yet even now, Democrats have failed to clearly articulate the discrepancies in the CR that I laid out at the start of this article. It was that simple.
This is what they should have done:
- Send the CR back to the House
Strip out all extraneous provisions — policy riders, structural shifts, and ideological inserts. Make it a true stopgap funding bill, nothing more. Force Speaker Mike Johnson to reconvene the House instead of letting members enjoy a paid recess. - Reintroduce the Clean CR to the Senate
With no partisan baggage, the Senate could vote on a bill that simply keeps the government open — no poison pills, no ideological traps. After all, that’s what Republicans claimed they wanted. Call their bluff. - Pass it into Law
Once both chambers approve the actual clean CR, it goes to the President for signature. At that point, it’s a legitimate stopgap — not a Trojan horse for Project 2025. Trump himself called it a “clean” CR, so he’d have to own that claim.
Instead, GOP leadership framed their version as “clean” while embedding structural provisions aligned with Project 2025 — the Heritage Foundation’s blueprint for hard-right governance. They GOP – wittingly or unwittingly - misled their base, many of whom accepted it without question.
Democrats, meanwhile, failed to force a procedural reset. The result: a CR that sustained suffering and surrendered leverage. Let’s be clear — this should have been kicked back to the House the moment it reached the Senate, well before the end of the fiscal year. Both parties bear responsibility for the shutdown.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE BUDGETS
Original FY-23 Budget: this is what the GOP told you you were getting
So-called “Clean CR”: this is what you're really getting - the GOP misled you
One does not look like the other. And don’t forget, the FY-23 budget is the one that was supposedly been extended as CR until last night. I gave you a thorough review in another article — linked here.
The 2025 government shutdown
This fiscal year there was no clean continuing resolution. Both sides blame each other — but this was preventable. Let’s break down the mechanics and sabotage.
This isn’t hard to understand. And as you can see, what I just showed is all Democrats had to do to prove their point.
So why didn’t they?
Stupidity? Dereliction? Ineptitude? Something else?
Sometimes the best solution is the simplest one.
All GOP senators voted in lockstep with Trump. What makes these eight naïve Democrats think they’ll have a fair shot at passing anything? That’s why I said: a tactical “win” can be a catastrophic strategic loss. I also blame their staffs — for lacking the insight or the guts to speak truth to power. What they did was not unlike sending people to fight a war in vain, only to surrender after the casualties pile up with no resolution. Some might call that dramatic — but this is the impact of the government shutdown:
Shutdown-Linked Harm: What We Know So Far
This is a non-exhaustive list — and all of it could’ve been mitigated if Democrats hadn’t been so reactive and consistently outmaneuvered. We knew what was coming. It’s written in Project 2025.
- SNAP benefits depleted over Halloween weekend, leaving millions without food assistance.
- Food banks reported surges in demand, with some turning families away due to lack of supplies.
- Yes — like communism, but under a right-wing GOP majority.
- Healthcare disruptions
- Expiring ACA subsidies and halted Medicaid processing left thousands without coverage.
- Clinics serving low-income patients reported missed appointments and medication lapses.
- Housing insecurity
- HUD delays affected rental assistance and eviction protections.
- Shelters in major cities reported overflow conditions and increased street homelessness.
- Federal workforce stress
- Nearly 900,000 federal employees were furloughed or working without pay.
- Suicide prevention hotlines saw increased call volume from affected workers — thankfully, no confirmed fatalities have been publicly reported.
And I repeat — all of this could have been mitigated. It was no surprise the GOP inserted provisions aligned with Project 2025 — they’ve been doing it long before Trump took office. Love or hate Trump isn’t the issue. The fact is, Trump publicly disavowed Project 2025 during his campaign because even his base rejected it. Yet the provisions in this CR mirror it.
At some point, you have to understand: just because someone’s in your party doesn’t mean they’re on your side. The shutdown disproportionately harmed red districts — Trump’s base. They weren’t “owning the libs;” they were punishing their own. That’s why they called it a “clean CR” — a euphemism for embedded structural sabotage. And yes, the provisions in this CR will continue to hurt red districts for years to come.
That’s why those who understand are speaking up — even if many of those affected don’t yet realize how deeply this punishes them.
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What’s next?
The GOP gains the upper hand by default — despite losing key elections in Virginia, New Jersey, and dozens of other ballots on November 4. Republican voters crossed party lines to support Democratic candidates, signaling a desire for change. But as usual, too many Democratic voters stayed home. And now, eight Democratic senators have squandered those nonpartisan gains — undermining the party’s credibility as one that fights for the people.
Let me close by repeating it: the government shutdown was preventable. The fiscal year starts on October 1st — every year. This isn’t hard to understand. The suffering Americans endured over the past 40 days—and the suffering still to come, even if they don’t recognize it — was telegraphed.
People who vote based on feelings and party loyalty instead of pragmatic data often become victims of their own willful ignorance. Meanwhile, there are folks out here who understand the process and sound the alarm. But an alarm means nothing if the elected leader’s response is dereliction. That’s what we witnessed on November 9, 2025: another chapter in the stupid ages.
Sadly, it’s up to those of us paying attention to be more assertive — to force the hand of Congress to do the job they were elected to perform. Because at least eight legislators — and their staffs — will be remembered for their ineptitude in American history. As for the GOP: I’ve stated and demonstrated that they redacted the truth, whether they realized it or not.
I’ve given you the resources. The facts are here. It’s up to you to research them. HLC
About the Author: J. Marcelo "BeeZee" Baqueroalvarez
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J. Marcelo "BeeZee" Baqueroalvarez is the Founder of Half Life Crisis™, a unique father-daughter collaboration dedicated to the relentless pursuit of intellectual honesty, critical thinking, geopolitical strategy, and meaningful art. Marcelo is the recognized author of the essential reads, Authoritarianism & Propaganda and Woke & Proud, driving challenging conversations worldwide. When not publishing, Marcelo utilizes his strategic insight in technology and business as the founder of BeeZee Vision, LLC™, which includes BZVweb™ Automated Web Services and Info in Context™ strategic consulting.
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