"AUGUSTA, Maine This week's vote to end the federal government shutdown sharply divided Congress along partisan lines. Yet the bill to reopen the government was reliant upon Democratic lawmakers of both chambers who joined Republicans, exposing rifts within the Democratic Party. That political divide was clearly evident in Maine's congressional delegation and the public's reaction to how they voted. "Well, Angus really hurt us in Maine," said Donna Doucette who, like many folks in Maine, refers to Sen. Angus King by his first name."
"King an independent who caucuses with Democrats was among eight minority party senators who negotiated a deal with Republicans to reopen government. Doucette was one of about two dozen protesters holding signs along a busy street in Waterville on a recent cold and blustery November afternoon. The protesters, many of whom are part of the local Indivisible chapter, were opposed to the deal ending the government shutdown."
The vote to end the federal government shutdown divided Congress along partisan lines while relying on Democrats who joined Republicans to pass the bill. The compromise revealed rifts within the Democratic Party and produced sharp disagreements within Maine's four-person congressional delegation. A negotiated deal included a promise of a future vote on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies rather than an immediate extension. Critics and protesters in Maine accused negotiators of selling out, citing the risk that average ACA premiums could more than double after December 31 without congressional action. The dispute energized local activists and highlighted tensions over strategy and trust.
Read at www.npr.org
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