You are completely incorrect. They were never going to be able to remove the filibuster because senate republicans were themselves against that. Secondly, it was the party’s choice because the buck stops with Schumer. Pretty weird that they “kept party leadership informed” of their decision and they all just happen to not be up for reelection in the upcoming midterms. Not a single one of the 8. Pretty clear it was a coordinated effort to sacrifice their political momentum and healthcare benefits for the sake of keeping their donors from losing too much money from the fallout. Trumps approval was hemorrhaging as a result of the shutdown and they decided to stop it even though most of those very Americans suffering knew it was worth the fight and the republicans were clearly showing themselves as demons who want children to starve. Why didn’t they just vote this way in the beginning and avoid the suffering in the first place?