Who Won The Government Shutdown?

It appears that the longest government shutdown in American history is coming to an end.

On Sunday night, eight members of the Senate Democratic Caucus joined Republicans in advancing a deal that would fund the government through January. It would also fund programs related to agriculture, military construction, and the legislative branch for most of 2026.

What Democrats got in return is a promise to vote on the enhanced Obamacare subsidies in December, a reversal of government layoffs made during the shutdown, continued funding of the Government Accountability Office, and maintaining the office’s ability to sue the Trump administration.

All eight of the senators who voted with Republicans are not up for reelection in 2026 and Democratic leadership criticized the deal, along with plenty of other Democratic lawmakers. So, in the end, which party came out on top?

That’s the story we begin with and we also dig into how Washington is reacting to last week’s elections and the latest news from the Supreme Court. With me to do it is Gabe Fleisher, author of the Wake Up To Politics newsletter and friend of the podcast.

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