California Governor Gavin Newsom slammed 8 “pathetic” Senators who joined the GOP in a late-night deal to end the 40-day government shutdown.
Seven Democrats and one Independent joined Republicans on Sunday to vote to fund the government until late January.
One Senator saw the vote to continue funding as the right thing to do for the American people who put him in office.
But Gov. Newsom sees the Democrats’ vote as a betrayal.
“Pathetic. America deserves better,” Newsom said. “This isn’t a deal. It’s a surrender. Don’t bend the knee!”
Independent Senator Angus King (Maine) said he voted to continue the funding because the Democrats used the shutdown as “leverage” against the Republicans.
“I never thought that shutting down the government… was leverage against the Republicans, and that was proven to be the case,” Senator King told CNN.
“The question now is, what do you do now? And it’s been proven that it didn’t achieve the desired result.”
Senator Tim Kaine, of Virginia, said he voted to approve funding when the GOP promised to rehire laid-off federal workers with back pay.
The government shutdown is the longest in US history – and the 8 Senators are concerned about their constituents back home.
The shutdown has left 42 million Americans without SNAP benefits, and forced over 2,000 canceled flights. Additionally, more than a million federal workers – including air traffic controllers – are working without pay.
