Angus did the right thing.

As maddening as it initially may feel, Sen. Angus King was right to broker a deal to end the government shutdown. Why? The Republicans under the thumb of Donald Trump simply were not going to restore funding for healthcare subsidies.

Meanwhile, those same Republicans were starving Americans, firing dedicated federal workers, endangering public safety and avoiding discussion of probable pedophilia at the highest level of government. 

Most Democrats who are up in arms over King’s decision have likely not been on the receiving end of the shutdown. That said, they have been willing to righteously fight to the last drop of blood of those who were actually suffering most. In the greatest Maine tradition, though, Angus provided the forthright and sensible leadership to relieve that suffering and move forward. 

Whether or not the Republicans actually allow a vote to restore healthcare insurance subsidies, the 2026 election has Trump’s MAGA GOP squarely on the record as being responsible for the pain and suffering they are consciously imposing on Americans. In addition, their record and their vote to oppose or support a full airing of the Epstein/Trump scandal will be on the ballot in 2026. 

All across our nation, MAGA Republicans and MAGA Republican ballot issues were defeated this November. Let’s sustain that momentum, welcome those who have abandoned Trump and get candidates elected from both parties who will uphold American values and our Constitutional rights. The next election will be here before we know it, so let’s get to work.