In the latest chapter of Washington gridlock, moderate Democrats have walked into the spotlight not as negotiators who secured key wins—but as lawmakers who broke ranks to reopen the government on terms many in their party view as unacceptably weak. Whether this move will be seen in hindsight as pragmatic governance or strategic capitulation remains to be seen.

The lawmakers who crossed the aisle include: Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.), Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), Maggie Hassan (N.H.), John Fetterman (Pa.), Tim Kaine (Va.), Jacky Rosen (Nev.), Dick Durbin (Ill.), and Angus King (Maine) (the independent who caucuses with Democrats).