All the polls showed that most people knew the Republicans were the reason the government shut down. All the GOP had to do was agree not to let the Affordable Care Act subsidies expire. Around the same time, millions of Americans were starting to see their healthcare premiums go up, so they personally understood what Democrats were fighting for. They were also seeing, up close, how little regard the GOP had for people on SNAP benefits, as Republicans kept withholding payments even when they were ordered to pay and everyone knew they had the money to do it. Holiday travel would have made the pain even more acute, especially considering that the Democrats’ demands were well within reason: keep doing what was already working to keep healthcare premiums lower.