The government reopened its doors this week after the longest closure in the country's history. Participants in the discussion Washington Week with The Atlantic joined to discuss how moderate lawmakers struck a deal with Senate Republicans and what it could mean for the Democratic Party in the future.
There has been a lot of frustration among Democratic lawmakers since the end of the shutdown, which is now becoming public, Nancy Cordes, chief White House correspondent for CBS News, said last night. “There are Senate Democrats who believe that the whole point of this risky venture that prompted the shutdown was that eventually, over time, they felt they would have enough leverage over Republicans.”
Although “the pain grew; yes, flight delays were increasing; yes, SNAP beneficiaries were starting to lose very important food assistance,” Cordes noted. “They felt like they were getting close to putting Republicans in a very awkward position.” She added: “We'll never know whether they were right or wrong because these eight Senate Democrats said they didn't want to find out.”
Joining guest moderator and staff writer on AtlanticVivian Salama to discuss this and more: Natalie Andrews, White House Correspondent Wall Street Journal; Cordes, chief White House correspondent for CBS News; Andrew Desiderio, Senior Congressional Reporter Punchbowl News; Jeff Mason is a White House correspondent for Reuters.
View full episode Here.
