Trump Backs Senate Deal to End Shutdown, Hails Victory Over ‘Democrat Demands’ on Obamacare and Immigration
Washington, D.C. – November 10, 2025 – President Donald Trump has thrown his full support behind a bipartisan Senate agreement to reopen the federal government after a grueling 40-day shutdown, the longest in U.S. history. In a series of Truth Social posts late Sunday, Trump praised the deal as a triumph that delivers “ZERO dollars to illegals or the failing Obamacare scam,” crediting Republican resolve for forcing Democrats to back down on their core demands. The endorsement comes as at least 10 Senate Democrats signal readiness to vote yes, potentially teeing up a final vote as early as this evening—though House passage remains a wild card amid intra-party GOP tensions.
The measure, advanced via a 60-40 procedural vote Sunday night, would fund government operations through January 30, 2026, reinstate thousands of laid-off federal workers with back pay, and mandate a December vote on extending Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium subsidies—without guaranteeing their renewal. Crucially, it excludes any new funding for immigrant healthcare programs that Republicans have branded as “freebies for illegals,” including Medicaid expansions for non-citizens under Biden-era loopholes. Trump, posting from Mar-a-Lago after a weekend golf outing, declared: “PAY THE PEOPLE, NOT THE INSURANCE COMPANIES! NO MORE MONEY TO DEMOCRAT SUPPORTED INSURANCE GIANTS FOR OBAMACARE DISASTER.” He urged Republicans to “HOLD THE LINE” against Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) pleas for immediate subsidy extensions, framing the shutdown as a Democrat-orchestrated “hostage crisis.”
For over a month, Democrats had stonewalled funding bills, demanding a one-year extension of pandemic-era ACA tax credits set to expire December 31. Without them, experts warn premiums could double for 15 million Americans, spiking from an average $500 to over $1,000 monthly. Schumer scaled back Friday, offering to reopen in exchange for the extension, but Republicans—echoing Trump’s rhetoric—rejected it outright, insisting on government operations first. “This is not negotiation; it’s surrender,” Schumer fumed on the Senate floor, accusing Trump of “playing politics with people’s lives” by withholding SNAP benefits and slashing air traffic staffing, which grounded thousands of flights.
Centrist Democrats, battered by constituent backlash—furloughed workers, shuttered national parks, delayed veterans’ benefits—broke ranks. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan (both D-NH), Angus King (I-ME), and others like Tim Kaine (D-VA) and John Hickenlooper (D-CO) secured the compromise, prioritizing back pay and service restoration over subsidy guarantees. “This is our best path to reopen and fight another day on healthcare,” Shaheen posted on X, noting Trump’s recent subsidy sabotage made concessions futile. At least 10 Democrats are now committed, per GOP tallies, enough to clear the 60-vote filibuster threshold alongside all 52 Republicans—though hardliners like Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rand Paul (R-KY) held out briefly before huddling with Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD).
Trump’s pivot marks a strategic win. Early in the shutdown, polls showed Republicans trailing in blame games, with 55% fingering Trump versus 35% for Democrats. But as pain mounted—1.4 million workers unpaid, $11 billion in economic losses—Democrats fractured. The White House amplified attacks on “Democrat demands for illegal alien healthcare,” citing a rejected CR that allegedly reinstated subsidies for 1.2 million non-citizens via “lawful presence” loopholes. Fact-checkers note the bill targeted “lawfully present” immigrants, not undocumented ones, but Trump allies like VP JD Vance doubled down: “It’s in the text—Democrats shut it down over freebies for illegals.”
On Obamacare, Trump proposed rerouting subsidies to individual Health Savings Accounts, bypassing “money-sucking insurers.” Senate Republicans, including Lindsey Graham (R-SC), cheered: “No more flooding insurance companies with taxpayer dollars as shutdown ransom.” Democrats decried it as a “gut job” on the ACA, with Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) warning of pre-existing condition denials. Progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) blasted the deal as a “policy disaster,” vowing primary challenges for defectors. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) pledged a floor fight: “We won’t rubber-stamp Senate surrender on ACA credits.”
X erupted with conservative glee. Accounts like @HomanNews and @mahe_6100 amplified the “BREAKING” narrative, racking up thousands of likes: “At least TEN Democrats on board—HOLD THE LINE against Schumer!” Critics, including @Ronxyz00, mocked Trump’s golf amid chaos, but supporters countered: “He doesn’t give a crap? He’s ending the shutdown on OUR terms.”
If passed, agencies face a scramble: TSA rehiring, IRS processing delayed returns, USDA restoring SNAP for 42 million recipients. Full recovery could take weeks, per experts. Trump, eyeing 2026 midterms, touted it as proof of “America First” grit: “Government reopens WITHOUT caving to radical demands.”
Yet shadows loom. The December ACA vote could reignite battles, with Trump floating repeal-and-replace 2.0. Democrats, humiliated by the split, eye retaliation—perhaps blocking must-pass bills. As Thune quipped: “Shutdown over, but the real fight for better healthcare begins.” For Trump, it’s a line held: no illegals, no Obamacare windfalls. Victory tastes sweet—golf optional.
