Bernie Sanders calls for Dems to stay strong

The most prominent Democratic voice of the 21st century has spoken again, and he’s begging his colleagues in the Democratic Party to hold steady amidst the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.

As of November 4, the U.S. government will have been shut down for 35 days, tying the record set by Trump’s first administration in 2019.

Donald Trump’s funding bill was turned down by Democrats on September 30, triggering the shutdown. The bill would raise premiums on healthcare for more than 15 million Americans, while funding tax cuts for the 1 percent. In total, there will be almost $170 billion in cuts to life-saving social programs targeting America’s working class.

Since Republicans control the Congress, the Senate, and the White House, traditionally, the onus would be on them to come to the table and negotiate the bill their party created.

The Democratic Party is still waiting for that to happen. Republican lawmakers are refusing to budge on any of the points Democrats are taking issue with – namely, the massive hikes to Medicare, and the cuts being made to SNAP, amongst other programs that directly benefit 60 percent of Americans.

Republicans need 60 votes to pass FY26, or even the temporary funding bill being proposed (HR-5371). With only 53 caucus members, the GOP need at least seven Democrats to cross party lines and vote against working-class Americans.

The Democrats are refusing to back down, instead pleading with Republicans to sit down and negotiate the bill.

Trump stated this weekend there would be no negotiating, and that if Democrats “don’t vote, it’s their problem.”

When the government is shut down, everything pauses. This means federal workers don’t get paid, federal programs stop receiving funding, and communication between branches of government and their constituents can be all but blocked.

What’s more, Republican House Leader Mike Johnson approved a 6-week paid vacation for his party, meaning most Republican Senators are no longer in DC.

With millions of Americans feeling the effects of this shutdown, Democratic leaders are fielding thousands of calls from struggling constituents. This is who Sander’s piece on Saturday is targeting. The constituents sending the calls, and the Democrats answering them.

Sanders started by outlining the gravity of the issue, stating:

“This may be the most consequential moment in American history since the civil war.”

He didn’t mince words while talking about Trump either, calling DJT, “a megalomaniacal president who, consumed by his quest for more and more power, is undermining our constitution and the rule of law.”

Sanders also claimed Trump’s goal is to “utilize his victory to accelerate his movement toward authoritarianism.” A goal which Trump all but confirmed himself over the weekend, quoting, “Republicans have to get tougher; if we end the filibuster, we can do exactly what we want.”

Sanders outlined how Trump’s FY26 budget would “throw 15 million Americans off their healthcare,” and cause more than “50,000 unnecessary deaths each year.”

Clearly targeting voting Americans, Sanders broke down the shutdown, trying to break through a wall of active disinformation pushed by right-wing news sites.

“Let’s be clear: this government shutdown did not happen by accident. In the Senate, 60 votes are required to fund the federal government. Today, the Republicans have 53 members while the Democratic caucus has 47. In other words, in order to fund the government, the Republican majority must negotiate with Democrats to move the budget forward. This is what has always happened – until now. Republicans, for the first time, are simply refusing to come to the table and negotiate. They are demanding that it is their way or the highway.”

San. Sanders ended the piece on a rousing note, emboldening Democratic Politicians and encouraging voters to stand firm:

“If the Democrats cave now it would be a betrayal of the millions of Americans who have fought and died for democracy and our constitution. It would be a sellout of a working class that is struggling to survive in very difficult economic times.”

As of November 5, this will be the longest government shutdown in American history, breaking Trump’s previous record of 35 days. The shutdown in 2019 was due to the bill that would have redirected almost $8 billion to build the Mexico-U.S. border wall.

The budget that triggered this shutdown will result in almost $170 billion in cuts to social programs. It is estimated the cuts could cause up to 250,000 deaths by the time Trump leaves office, and could send 20 million Americans into poverty.

Experts claim that 60 percent of Americans cannot afford a $1000 expense, making them highly susceptible to homelessness. The cuts proposed in FY26 could raise a family of four’s food expenses by more than $4,000 and Medicare expenses by $ 2,000.

With 60 percent of America less than $5000 away from homelessness, FY26 could push millions of families into homelessness. 

This photo shows Houston residents lining up for a socialized food distribution program. It was taken on November 1. One in 8 Americans receive SNAP benefits from the US government. 

Right-wing media outlets like Newsmax and FOX continue to claim that the budget will actually benefit Americans, but numbers are numbers, and we took ours from the White House website. So, unless Trump’s own numbers are wrong, Democrats must stay strong, or else millions of Americans will suffer.