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But the deal came with a catch. GOP leaders promised to consider a future vote on expiring Obamacare subsidies — a move Hostin blasted as a hollow gesture.
Hostin unloaded on live television, furious that her party accepted what she saw as an empty Republican promise.
“This was a choice by Republicans to cut ACA subsidies,” she ranted. “This was a choice by the Republicans to gut the federal government and federal employment. Democrats had nothing to do with it.”
Then she dropped the hammer: “I want an opposition party. I think the Democrats caved. I think the Democrats let down the American people.”
Her outburst reflected growing anger among the progressive base, which expected Schumer to hold firm against Republican pressure. Instead, moderates in vulnerable swing states panicked as voters blamed Democrats — not Trump — for the shutdown chaos.
This isn’t the first time Hostin has taken Schumer to task. Back in March, she accused him of “caving” during another funding showdown when he backed a GOP resolution to avoid a shutdown.
“It gives me no pleasure to say this to you, because we are friends, but I think you caved,” Hostin told Schumer during that interview. “I think you and nine other Democrats caved.”
“I don’t think you showed the fight that this party needs right now,” she continued. “Because you’re playing by a rulebook, where the other party has thrown that rulebook away.”
Schumer defended his actions at the time, claiming he had to choose between “bad” and “devastating” options. But Hostin wasn’t buying it then — and she certainly isn’t now.
“Shame on you the first time,” she scolded Monday. “You do it twice, three times, four times, shame on me. Shame on the Democrats for even believing that the Republicans will, you know, even vote on it.”
The 42-day shutdown — now the longest in U.S. history — wreaked havoc across the country. Federal workers missed paychecks. Airlines canceled flights as air traffic control staffing plummeted. Food assistance programs fell into legal limbo. Even state governments warned of “catastrophic operational disruptions.”
Democrats had hoped the mounting pressure would break Republican resolve. Instead, it was Schumer’s caucus that blinked first.
“Tonight is another example of why we need new leadership,” said Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts. “If Chuck Schumer were an effective leader, he would have united his caucus to vote ‘No’ tonight and hold the line on healthcare.”
That sentiment echoed across social media Monday night, as even progressive voices admitted the party’s strategy had backfired.
Hostin’s fury summed up what many on the Left are thinking but afraid to say out loud.
“The working people want the Democratic Party to fight for them,” she lamented. “And now they just caved and surrendered.”
For all their talk of “resistance,” Democrats ended up handing Trump a political victory — one that could haunt them in the 2026 midterms.
After six weeks of gridlock and self-inflicted wounds, Schumer’s leadership is under siege from within his own ranks. The Democratic Party, once united in its opposition to Trump, now appears fractured, demoralized, and led by a man who can’t seem to hold his own caucus together.
And as Sunny Hostin made crystal clear — she wants his head on a platter for it.
