What Democrats say they won in the 43-day government shutdown

[LetMyPeopleVote]

These Democrats did get three things: (i) funding of the food assistance program known as SNAP for the rest of the fiscal year through September 2026, (ii) the Trump administration agreed to reinstate federal workers who were laid off during the shutdown through reductions in force, or RIFs and (iii) a “minibus” of three appropriations bills, which will fund some parts of the government through next fall including the FAA. There is likely to be another shutdown after this deal expires on Jan. 30, 2026 and so these concessions are meaningful to some groups..

What Democrats say they won in the 43-day government shutdown www.nbcnews.com/politics/con... /jmho we , dems, didn’t win 😐we would have won IF we didn’t fold /cave give up 🤷🏽‍♀️ but here we are 🙇🏽‍♀️ is it too much to ask that we stop being cowards & get some f’ing steel in our spine FFS 🤦🏽‍♀️

— Nikki (@varivergirl.bsky.social) 2025-11-12T11:34:26.853Z

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/democrats-wins-shutdown-fight-health-care-obamacare-subsidies-trump-rcna243211

Among the eight Senate Democrats who struck a deal with the White House and Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., four were former governors — pragmatists used to working across the aisle who argue you don’t always get what you want in legislation.

The agreement includes a “minibus” of three appropriations bills, which will fund some parts of the government through next fall. The rest of the government will be funded through Jan. 30.

The deal includes funding of the food assistance program known as SNAP for the rest of the fiscal year through September 2026, meaning families will be fed and food stamps can’t be used as leverage in any funding fight in the coming months.

The group of eight also got some wins for federal workers, who have been under siege since Trump’s inauguration, facing aggressive Department of Government Efficiency cuts and the consolidation of some agencies, like the U.S. Agency for International Development.

They got the Trump administration to agree to reinstate federal workers who were laid off during the shutdown through reductions in force, or RIFs. And they secured language barring future mass firings for the duration of the resolution that keeps the government open through January.

It’s a win for “federal employees who are not going to be traumatized by RIFs going forward,” said Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, the former governor of Virginia, a state home to nearly 150,000 civilian federal workers.

“I’ve got some folks who didn’t like the vote, but I’m going to have a whole lot of federal employees who are going back to work and they’re getting their paychecks, and they can live through the holidays without worrying that they’re going to get a bad email at 5 a.m. tomorrow morning that they’re laid off.”

“They have been living under a cloud of anxiety since Jan. 20, and we’ve lifted that cloud to some degree,” Kaine added.

Again, the ACA issue is not going away and I believe that there will be another shutdown in February. These concessions are helpful for some key groups if there is another shutdown in February.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

1. Here is another good list of concessions won in the re-opening of the Federal Government

The ACA issue is not going to go away. There will likely be another government shutdown when the current bill expires on January 30, 2026. These concessions will be meaningful in the next shutdown.

Link to tweet

The longest shutdown in federal history is over — but what's in the bill that reopened the government?

• Full SNAP funding returns immediately

• Increased security funding for lawmakers

• Extended funding for most agencies through Jan.

• Agreement to vote next month on extending ACA subsidies (which expire at end of Dec.)

• Full-year funding for USDA, FDA, VA, legislative branch, military construction, & rural development

• Reversal of shutdown-related layoffs, return of normal salaries + back pay for ~800,000 federal workers

[Samael13]

2. They keep saying it forces the trump administration to do things.

Yet trumps actions and words are showing the opposite i mean his administration is still at the Supreme Court asking his toadies to keep the freeze in paying benefits in place im pretty sure he will also probably consider just a veto on the whole thing

[LetMyPeopleVote]

4. trump signed the extension bill last night

The concessions listed above were part of the extension bill and are now law.

[JustAnotherGen]

3. First - deep concern

And empathy for those who rely on the ACA for help with their health insurance.

But second- ACA is going to be front and center in 2026.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

5. I believe that there will be either some sort of extension of the ACA tax credits or another shutdown on Feb. 1

[JustAnotherGen]

6. We were

Going to go to Costa Rica in February. Not doing it. Don't want to screw around with flying.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

7. The next shutdown is coming