Schumer In Hot Water As Democrats Fume Over Support For GOP Funding Bill
Democratic Senate Minority Leader and New York Senator Charles Schumer is confronting a serious test to his leadership within the party.
Many Democrats are outraged that Schumer conceded to Republicans by voting to invoke cloture, allowing the continuing resolution to fund the government to pass.
Before the cloture vote—which effectively ended debate on the spending bill—Schumer defended his shift in position, arguing that it was necessary to prevent President Donald Trump from consolidating even more power. However, some political analysts suggest he recognized that a government shutdown would be politically damaging, making Democrats responsible for the fallout.
“He wants full control over government spending. He isn’t the first president to want this, but he’s the first president to cower his party into submission. So, this Republican rejection leads us to a decision,” Schumer stated.
“And it’s not really a decision, it’s a Hobson’s Choice: either proceed with the bill before us, or risk Donald Trump throwing America into the chaos of a shutdown. This, in my view, is no choice at all,” he said, though Republicans largely supported the measure, ensuring that the government remained open.
“While the CR bill is very bad, the potential for a shutdown has consequences for America that are much, much worse. For sure, the Republican bill is a terrible option. It is not a clean CR. It is deeply partisan. It doesn’t address far too many of this country’s needs,” Schumer continued.
“But I believe allowing Donald Trump to take even much more power via a government shutdown is a far worse option,” he added.
Since his vote, Schumer has faced intense criticism from within his own party. Some Democrats have called him out directly, while others, including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have made indirect references to his decision.
“Donald Trump and Elon Musk have offered the Congress a false choice between a government shutdown or a blank check that makes a devastating assault on the well-being of working families across America,” Pelosi stated.
“Let’s be clear: neither is a good option for the American people. But this false choice that some are buying instead of fighting is unacceptable,” she added.
“I salute Leader Hakeem Jeffries for his courageous rejection of this false choice, and I am proud of my colleagues in the House Democratic Caucus for their overwhelming vote against this bill,” Pelosi said, making a pointed remark toward those who backed the measure.
“Democratic senators should listen to the women. Appropriations leaders Rosa DeLauro and Patty Murray have eloquently presented the case that we must have a better choice: a four-week funding extension to keep government open and negotiate a bipartisan agreement,” she urged.
“America has experienced a Trump shutdown before – but this damaging legislation only makes matters worse. Democrats must not buy into this false choice. We must fight back for a better way. Listen to the women, For The People,” Pelosi emphasized.
“He’s done a great deal of damage to the party,” said Ezra Levin, co-founder of the liberal group Indivisible. Speaking to Politico, he revealed that the organization had arranged an emergency weekend call to “seriously consider if the current [Democratic] leadership is equipped to handle the moment we’re in.”
When questioned by a reporter on Friday about whether Schumer should remain as the Democratic leader in the Senate, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries curtly responded, “next question.”
Additionally, New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez expressed strong opposition to the legislation, calling the decision to vote for it a “terrible mistake.”
“I believe that’s a tremendous mistake,” she told CNN anchor Jake Tapper. “First and foremost, the American people, if anyone has held a town hall or has seen what has been happening in town halls, the American people, whether they are Republicans, independents, Democrats, are up in arms about Elon Musk and the actual gutting of federal agencies across the board. This continuing resolution codifies much of this chaos that Elon Musk is wreaking havoc on the federal government.”