“The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart took aim at Senate Democrats on Monday following passage of legislation that ended the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, criticizing the party for agreeing to a deal without securing its key priorities.

The Senate passed an amended continuing resolution that will fund the government through Jan. 30, 2026, while providing full-year appropriations for the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and military construction projects.

The legislation moved forward with bipartisan support after weeks of negotiation.

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Stewart opened his Monday episode by telling viewers that the show was sponsored by “I can’t f**king believe it!”

“And what, you ask, is ‘it?’ Well, ‘it’ is the Democrats. You remember the Democrats,” Stewart said.

“They shut down the government last month for a very particular reason.”

He then played a montage of Democratic lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), calling for the extension of enhanced subsidies for the Affordable Care Act that were enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The montage was followed by a clip of Fox News host Dana Perino announcing that Democrats had “caved” on the shutdown.

“Excuse me, ‘cave on the shutdown?’ Huh? Not this forceful, young, authentic Democratic Party that hangs out down by the river and curses in what appears to be a cerulean blue blazer,” Stewart said sarcastically.

“And I say… no f**king way. No, they f**king caved on the shutdown.”

Stewart went on to criticize Senate Democrats for what he described as surrendering too quickly after a string of favorable election results.

“Not even a full week removed from the best election night results they’ve had in years, seven Democratic senators and an ‘independent’ voted with their Republican counterparts to end the shutdown and reopen the government,” he said.

“And did they get their extended healthcare subsidies?”

A clip from ABC News followed, reporting that Republicans had only agreed to hold a future vote on extending the enhanced subsidies.

“I cannot f**king believe it! You had the wind at your back! Election victories all over the country. The new Sydney Sweeney movie, box office bupkis!” Stewart exclaimed, referencing the underperformance of the actress’s recent film.

“Apparently, her new MAGA fanbase didn’t show up in droves to see a biopic about a lesbian professional boxer who overcomes domestic violence to live her truth. Who could have seen that coming? Democrats, you sold out the entire shutdown not to get what you wanted, but for a promise to not get what you wanted later.”

He continued his critique by mocking the Democrats’ negotiating approach.

“Where in ‘The Art of War’—hold on. Okay, here it is. I got it. Sun Tzu said, ‘Never press your advantage. It’s unseemly! Fighting’s hard. How ’bout a snack?’” Stewart said.

“I can’t f**king believe it. And by the way, what good does a promise of a Senate vote even do for you? Democrats, you don’t control the Senate. Do you even know how this shit works? Let’s just say that you managed to win a vote in the Senate, which you haven’t done all year, do you know what happens then?”

Schumer’s handling of the negotiations has drawn sharp criticism from both left-leaning commentators and members of his own party.

Several Democratic lawmakers and progressive figures faulted him for helping advance a Republican-led spending package earlier this year to avert a shutdown, arguing it weakened the party’s leverage and undercut its message on protecting healthcare subsidies.

The deal, while ending a record-length shutdown, has deepened divisions among Democrats who believe the party gave away its negotiating position without securing tangible results.

With the continuing resolution extending funding into early 2026, further debates over healthcare policy and fiscal priorities are expected to resurface in the coming months.

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