As the Democrats’ government shutdown approaches a record-breaking duration, three senators jetted off to sunny Florida for a PR stunt meant to pressure the president.
Years after selling the lie that Americans who liked their doctor could keep their doctor to advance the left’s objective of socialized healthcare, Democrats have taken the sword of Damocles that they’d dangled over the nation and are now holding the blade to its throat to get their way via the shutdown.
To that end, Democratic Sens. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Tina Smith of Minnesota, and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts absconded from Washington, D.C., to attend a Florida Voices for Health event on Monday and peddle talking points rather than vote to reopen the government after nearly five weeks.
Faulting President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans for increases in premiums under the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, that came as a result of expanded subsidies under then-President Joe Biden’s so-called American Rescue Plan and Inflation Reduction Act, Murphy argued, “Donald Trump could reopen the government tomorrow if he just decided to fix this problem.”
“This fight matters. As you know, the government is shut down right now, and what Democrats have said is that we want to get the government open, but not with an immoral budget that throws millions of people off their health care,” argued the senator from Miami. “If we’re going to fund the government, let’s fund a government that doesn’t result in the kind of devastation of the health care system that is planned under the current trajectory. Are we going to help the billionaires and the corporations? Are we going to help regular people throughout the country?”
Likewise, he appeared in a video alongside Smith and Warren explaining that the destination was chosen due to its prominent ACA marketplace with premium increases he claimed were “engineered by Donald Trump and Republicans.”
Hey I just got to Miami with @SenWarren and @SenTinaSmith because South Florida is going to be hit harder by Trump’s health care cost increases than any other part of the nation. We are here to hear stories from the people whose lives will be ruined and want us to FIGHT for them. pic.twitter.com/TEKWIbs9lg
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) November 3, 2025
Smith added, “4 million people are going to be seeing that kind of doubling,” as she contended, “Two million people are probably just going to give up because they can’t afford it.”
Among the stories elevated by the senators as open enrollment gets underway, the event featured a single mom reportedly being struck with a choice between food or a 250% increase in her premium, a cancer survivor relying on the tax credit to not have to choose between care for herself or her diabetic husband and a small business owner who detailed a $18,000 increase in premiums for the upcoming year.
Of course, while the Democrats enjoyed their extended weekend with a jaunt to sunny South Florida, social media users were quick to quash the talking points by pointing out that they were responsible for voting for the sunset provision for the subsidies in the first place.
Didn’t all three of you vote to sunset the pandemic subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act?
— Passably Affable (@tbrusletten) November 3, 2025
You three nabobs voted to sunset the ACA subsidies. pic.twitter.com/7qKyf8Q0hl
— James K Bishop (@James_K_Bishop) November 3, 2025
Democrats made Obamacare.
Democrats made the subsidies.
Democrats made the shutdown.— Paul A. Szypula (@Bubblebathgirl) November 3, 2025
Maybe you should have stayed in DC and voted to open the government!
— Steve Gruber (@stevegrubershow) November 3, 2025
Seems like a perfect time to remind everyone that all 3 of you voted against ending the shutdown and against funding SNAP last Tuesday.
You could have been fighting about health insurance for the past month instead of holding Americans hostage. End it now! pic.twitter.com/DEFL4ELFxe
— Fuzzy Chimp (@fuzzychimpcom) November 3, 2025
So you decided to go on vacation instead of voting to end the Schumer Shutdown. You clearly don’t care that families are going without food just because you want “leverage.” How pathetic.
— Jodi (@Jodi54075383) November 4, 2025
Voting no and vacationing in Florida-great look
— MMC2 (@iMitchm) November 3, 2025
Totally a Democrat law. The ACA was passed and nurtured by the democrats. They passed subsides to conceal the costs of the Affordable Care Act. Then they sunsetted those subsides.
Make no mistakes Democrats own this.— Mícheál MacRodáin (@sfdoc110) November 3, 2025
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
- Elections in Connecticut lead to 22-yr-old having control of millions of taxpayer dollars - December 3, 2025
- Illegal immigrant kills police K-9 dog in California stand-off - December 3, 2025
- Pope Leo meddles in politics, urges Trump not to oust Maduro - December 3, 2025
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.