STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
We can expect heavy traffic during the morning rush today here in Washington, D.C.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Here in Los Angeles and other cities, it's fair to expect the parking lots at federal buildings to fill up. That's because hundreds of thousands of federal workers are ending their furloughs after Congress voted to reopen the government. What's not over is the uncertainty that 22 million Americans face about their health insurance payments, and in a moment, we'll hear the voices of some of the people affected.
INSKEEP: So let's begin our coverage with NPR congressional correspondent Barbara Sprunt. Barbara, good morning.
BARBARA SPRUNT, BYLINE: Good morning, Steve.
INSKEEP: What, if anything, did we get out of a 43-day shutdown?
SPRUNT: Well, not a whole lot. This bill funds some agencies through the end of next September, notably funds SNAP, which provides food assistance to nearly 1 in 8 Americans. The bill includes measures that reverses some layoffs the Trump administration imposed during the shutdown, provides back pay for federal employees and puts in some protections against further layoffs. But the central issue underlying the entire shutdown, the reason that most Democrats didn't vote over a month ago to fund the government in the first place, did not get addressed. And that's the extensions of the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year.
INSKEEP: Which we've heard a lot about from Democrats on this program and elsewhere. I was just watching a video of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is furious about what she sees as cowardice by the Senate Democrats who broke with their party and decided to make this deal. Fierce criticism. What is the reasoning of the people who decided to end the shutdown, though?
SPRUNT: I think it came down to acknowledging that the cost of the shutdown was very high and there was no end in sight. You know, let's talk about the realities on the ground here, real impacts on people. Tens of millions of Americans not getting the food aid they rely on. Air traffic controllers, TSA agents, millions of federal workers going without pay. From the beginning, Senate Democrats said they would hold out on voting to fund the government until Republicans came to the table to negotiate on those subsidies. Senate Republicans repeatedly said they're open to that, but only after the government was funded, not before.
And this is all taking place at a time when the Democratic base is really calling for a strong opposition party. You know, I hear a lot from Democrats about wanting to see the party fight back against the Trump administration. And when you're in the minority, there's not a whole lot you can do. Trying to use the shutdown as some form of leverage is one of the things that the party in the minority can do. But at the end of the day, it just didn't work. Republicans weren't budging.
INSKEEP: OK, you told me that Republicans say they're open to extending the ACA subsidies after the government has reopened, which it now is. But I know there's also a lot of Republicans who are skeptical of the whole idea. So is it a win for Democrats to get an assured vote on this in the Senate, at least?
SPRUNT: Well, many Democrats don't think so. You know, the result is an end to the shutdown that doesn't address this core demand. And Democrats are left kind of defending the handshake agreement that they once said was insufficient. Not to mention, even if a bill addressing the subsidies passes the Senate, it still needs to go to the House. And getting it to pass in the House is another kettle of fish.
So, you know, I've heard a lot of critics say that the Democrats who voted to end the shutdown shouldn't have caved, to borrow their language. But the Democrats who voted for this bill say that their initial strategy as a party ended up just not being effective and waiting a little or a lot longer wasn't going to change that. The only thing that it does change is how long the American people keep suffering from the effects of the shutdown.
INSKEEP: Well, what are you watching now that we move toward this vote in December on the subsidies?
SPRUNT: Well, looking to see how Senate Democrats craft a bill to address the subsidies. Can they do it in a way that brings enough Republicans on board? If they're successful, they'll start the year with a policy victory. And if Republicans don't support it, Democrats still have what they say is a winning issue, health care, to campaign on.
INSKEEP: That's NPR's Barbara Sprunt. Barbara, thanks for getting up early. Really appreciate it.
SPRUNT: Thank you, Steve. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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