Opposition to the Affordable Care Act drove a Republican electoral wave in 2010, a federal government shutdown in 2013, and a failed repeal effort in 2017.
A backlash to that repeal attempt, in turn, fueled massive Democratic wins in 2018 as the party defended the law often called Obamacare.
Now, former President Barack Obama’s signature policy achievement is back in the maelstrom as the centerpiece of the ongoing government shutdown, demonstrating its far-reaching effects 15 years after it passed. The dispute shows it remains one of the sharpest divides in American politics.
Democrats driving the standoff are demanding Congress and ...