Bernie Sanders slams Dems for siding with Trump, says shutdown agreement will ‘worsen the situation’

WASHINGTON, DC: Bernie Sanders delivered a speech on the Senate floor after some Democrats agreed to a deal with Republicans to end the ongoing government shutdown.

Sanders accused his colleagues of worsening the situation, warning that millions of Americans could face a steep increase in their health insurance premiums.

Bernie Sanders warns Senate vote will raise health insurance premiums

Sanders said on Sunday, November 9, “The way the process has been developed, it is impossible to delay the votes that is gonna take place. That is certainly what I would do. Because I think the American people fully understand what is being voted on today.”

He went on to explain, “Everybody in America today knows that our current healthcare system is broken, dysfunctional, cruel, and by far the most expensive healthcare system in the world, and the only healthcare system of a major country that does not guarantee healthcare to all people as a human right, covering every man, woman, and child.”

“We are unique in that respect,” he added. He continued, “And yet tonight, what this Senate is about to do is make a horrific situation even more worse. So, let's be clear what this vote is about. If this vote succeeds, over 20 million Americans are gonna see at least a doubling in their premiums in the Affordable Care Act.” 

Democrats, GOP reach deal to reopen government

Sanders was reacting to the Senate, which is set to hold a vote to advance a Republican stopgap funding package that could pave the way to end the longest government shutdown in the country’s history.

The breakthrough on Sunday came after a group of centrist Democrats negotiated a deal to reopen the government if Republicans agree to hold a vote on expiring healthcare subsidies by December.

The package would include a stopgap funding bill that reopens the government through January and funds other elements, including food aid and the legislative branch, for the next year.

The amended package would still need to pass the House of Representatives and be sent to President Donald Trump for his signature, a process that could take several days.   

Bernie Sanders condemns Democrats who backed GOP funding deal

Sanders later took to X, posting a video describing the session as a very bad night.

“Tonight, eight Democrats voted with the Republicans to allow them to go forward on this continuing resolution. And to my mind, this was a very bad vote.”

He went on to explain, “What it does, first of all, is it raises healthcare premiums for over 20 million Americans by doubling and in some cases, tripling or quadrupling. People can’t afford that when we are already paying the highest prices in the world for healthcare.”

“Number two, it paves the way for 15 million people to be thrown off of Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. Studies show that this will mean that some 50 thousand Americans will die every year unnecessarily. And all of that was done to give $1 trillion in tax breaks to the one percent.”

“As everybody knows, just on Tuesday, we had an election all over this country. And what the election showed is that the American people want us to stand up to Trumpism, to his war against working-class people, to his authoritarianism. That is what the American people wanted.”

He concluded by saying, “But tonight, that is not what happened. So we’ve got to go forward, do the best that we can to try to protect working-class people, to make sure that the US not only does not throw people off of health care, but ends the absurdity of being the only major country on earth that doesn't guarantee healthcare to all people."

"We have a lot of work to do, but to be honest with you, tonight was not a good night,” he added.