After the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, Senate Democrats faltered and ended their standoff with their Republican colleagues. Democrats had initially dug in for the funding fight, they said, to protect subsidies for the Affordable Care Act (ACA). These government tax credits, set to expire at the end of the year, keep health insurance affordable for the millions of Americans who are covered through the ACA.

In the end, the only concession Democrats extracted from Republicans was a “promise” to hold a vote on the ACA subsidies — a vote that is almost certain to fail. Ultimately, seven Democrats and one independent — Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who caucuses with the Democrats — broke ranks with their party and voted to approve the Republican-backed budget. Why these Democrats c

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