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The deal to end the shutdown exposed rifts among Democrats. Just ask Maine November 15, 20255:00 AM ET
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Maine’s congressional delegation is representative of varying political views on the vote to reopen the government. Seen here from left to right: Democratic Rep. Jared Golden in Washington, D.C., on July 17, Independent Sen. Angus King in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 9, Republican Sen. Susan Collins in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 7, and Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree in Westbrook, Maine, on Oct. 4, 2024. Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images, Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images, J. Scott Applewhite/AP, Gregory Rec/Getty Images hide caption
toggle caption Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images, Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images, J. Scott Applewhite/AP, Gregory Rec/Getty Images
AUGUSTA, Maine — This week’s vote to end the federal government shutdown sharply divided Congress along partisan lines. Yet the bill to reopen the government was reliant upon Democratic lawmakers of both chambers who joined Republicans, exposing rifts within the Democratic Party.
That political divide was clearly evident in Maine’s congressional delegation — and the public’s reaction to how they voted.
“Well, Angus really hurt us in Maine,” said Donna Doucette who, like many folks in Maine, refers to Sen. Angus King by his first name. King — an independent who caucuses with Democrats — was among eight minority party senators who negotiated a deal with Republicans to reopen government.
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Doucette was one of about two dozen protesters holding signs along a busy street in Waterville on a recent cold and blustery November afternoon. The protesters, many of whom are part of the local Indivisible chapter, were opposed to the deal ending the government shutdown.
“I’ve supported him from the beginning and I think he sold us out. Especially when I’m retired, still dealing with cancer — I don’t need that now. Nor does my husband, who is even older than me,” she said.
As part of the deal, Senate Republicans promised a future vote on extending subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.
But critics say they betrayed the Democratic cause by failing to secure an actual extension of the tax credits that roughly 20 million ACA users rely upon to lower their premiums. Without congressional action, the average premium is expected to more than double after December 31st.
Some protesters brought signs calling King a coward. Cindy Burke said he caved.
“We held out for 40 days, I think, and I just feel that we got nothing from it,” said Burke. “And a promise to have a vote on the ACA, I don’t believe that is going to happen. I don’t trust the Republicans.”
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A small delegation with a significant split
Maine’s four-person congressional delegation is one of the smallest in the country. Yet their mixed votes on the bill to reopen the government reflect the national divide over the fraught issue.
Maine’s Republican Sen. Susan Collins blamed the shutdown on Democrats and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York. Yet as chairwoman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, Collins helped broker the compromise that funds the government through January 30 and fully funds some agencies through September 30.
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Maine Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat, supported extending the ACA subsidies but blasted his party’s shutdown strategy. He cast one of his party’s six House votes to end the shutdown.
His fellow Maine Democrat, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, views the compromise as a “capitulation,” particularly after the Democratic victories nationwide during the Nov. 4 election.
“Many of us felt like there was a lot of momentum behind us,” said Pingree. “And the Republicans are feeling these concerns. They are losing court battles and they are getting the same calls that we are. We should move them to a decision, not the promise of a vote.”
Angus King said in an interview with Maine Public Radio earlier this week that he’s surprised by the ferocity of the backlash, although he understands the sentiment.
“I understand because millions of people in this country are gravely worried and angry and frankly scared about the future of their country because of what Donald Trump is doing,” King said. “I’m with them. I’ve been to the ‘No Kings’ rallies here in Maine.”
But King defended his decision, saying Republicans made clear they would not negotiate on the ACA until the government reopened. Government shutdowns rarely secure policy concessions for the minority party.
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Although he supports extending the subsidies, King said the shutdown harmed Americans — and empowered Trump. That’s why King voted with Republicans more than a dozen times to avoid or end the shutdown.
“And I get it: people want some place to stand up and they felt this was it,” King said. “But it’s backfiring in a sense that it is hurting a lot of people without getting what we want.”
Independents play a key role in upcoming elections
It’s unclear how shutdown partisanship will impact next year’s elections in Maine — a state where 30 percent of voters are independents. And Maine could play an outsized role in control of Congress after 2026.
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Golden isn’t seeking reelection in a House district that Trump won twice, giving Republicans an opportunity to flip the seat. And the shutdown is already popping up in the heated Democratic primary to challenge Collins, one of the Senate’s most vulnerable Republicans. Collins has not yet announced that she is running for reelection, although she is aggressively fundraising.
“I want to reiterate my call for Leader Schumer to step down,” said Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, a Marine Corps veteran and oysterman whose anti-establishment message has drawn huge crowds, despite recent controversy over past online comments and a tattoo widely recognized as a Nazi symbol. Platner has said he didn’t realize the connection when he received the tattoo as a young infantryman and recently had it covered.
Platner denounced the shutdown deal, blaming Schumer — who opposed the deal but couldn’t keep his party unified against it. But he also took a not-so-subtle jab at Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who was recruited by Schumer to run for the Senate.
“The governor has Chuck Schumer’s phone number. She should give him a call and have a chat about that.”
For her part, Mills said this week that she strongly disagrees with the deal to end the shutdown.
“I appreciate Senator King’s efforts here, but it’s not going to work,” Mills said on MSNBC. “The mere promise of taking it up, putting it on the calendar, talking about it in December . . . Maine people can’t wait.”
Back in Waterville, protest organizer Karen Heck said she’s frustrated — with King, with her Democratic Party and with politicians, in general.
“I just think that most people are tired of a government that doesn’t work for them,” Heck said. “Whether that’s a schism in the Democratic Party or not, I think that this old system, the old system is not working for us. And a lot of people are angry about that.”
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Heck added that she thinks people will demand a change — possibly starting in next year’s primaries.