The Washington Post editorial board called on Senate Democrats on Wednesday to end the month-long government shutdown, criticizing party leaders for “holding the government hostage” in an effort to secure an extension of costly Obamacare subsidies, as reported [1] by Fox News.
The paper’s editorial urged lawmakers to pass a clean funding bill to restore federal operations and prevent disruptions to key public programs.
“The right answer is to reopen the government with a clean funding bill, ideally for a full year, to get food stamps flowing and federal workers back in the office, and then have a debate about ACA subsidies,” the editorial stated.
“Democrats openly acknowledge that they refuse to do this because it would mean giving up their leverage. If they persist, it could mean families start to go hungry.”
The criticism follows warnings from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — commonly known as food stamps — will run out by November 1 if appropriations are not approved.
While the agency maintains an emergency contingency fund of roughly $5 billion, the USDA said those funds are not “legally available” for use without congressional action.
The Post noted that one reason the shutdown has lasted nearly a month is that “most Americans have felt no discernible impact on their daily life,” but cautioned that circumstances are beginning to change.
“This pain point, combined with three other dynamics, should help hasten an end to the shutdown as early as next week by making Democrats blink,” the editorial board wrote.
In addition to the potential expiration of SNAP benefits, the Post cited other developments that could pressure Democrats to reopen the government — including the start of open enrollment for health insurance plans this weekend.
“Many people will experience sticker shock when they see how much their premiums are about to go up,” the editorial said. “Democrats will be able to claim they got their point across about the need to rescue Obamacare by extending subsidies that are set to expire.”
The Post also suggested that Democrats may use expected victories in next week’s off-year elections in states like New Jersey and Virginia — and the New York City mayoral race — to portray the outcome as a political win that allows them to end the standoff without losing face.
“Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries are both New Yorkers who fear the Mamdani wing of the party,” the Post wrote.
“Schumer has allowed the shutdown to drag on because he’s worried about fending off a primary challenger in 2028, and he’s still smarting from blowback he got from angry liberals after he agreed to fund the government this spring.”
The editorial further highlighted frustration from federal workers and their unions, noting that the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) — which represents more than 800,000 federal workers — has called for an immediate end to the shutdown.
“It’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley said Monday.
“Put every single federal worker back on the job with full back pay — today.”
Concluding its piece, the Post urged lawmakers to keep the government open and separate policy disputes from budget negotiations.
“It is wrong that Democrats have held the government hostage for a month in hopes of extending costly Obamacare subsidies, just as it was for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to shut down the government in 2013 for 16 days in a bid to defund the Affordable Care Act altogether,” the editorial stated.