Schumer Slammed After Admitting Democrats Are Benefiting From Shutdown

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D–NY) is under fire from both sides of the aisle after admitting on camera that the ongoing government shutdown is “getting better for us every day,” sparking outrage from President Donald Trump’s White House and Republican lawmakers who say the remark exposes Democrats’ true motives.

The uproar began Thursday after Punchbowl News reported that Schumer privately told colleagues that the shutdown — now in its second week — was politically advantageous for Democrats. The impasse began after talks broke down over Democrats’ demand to restore taxpayer-funded health care for illegal immigrants, a proposal Republicans denounced as “reckless and unfair.”

“Every day gets better for us,” Schumer reportedly boasted. “It’s because we’ve thought about this long in advance, and we knew that health care would be the focal point on Sept. 30, and we prepared for it… Their whole theory was — threaten us, bamboozle us, and we would submit in a day or two.”

Hours later, Schumer doubled down during a heated Senate floor exchange, accusing House Speaker Mike Johnson (R–LA) of “killing his own constituents” by refusing to pass the Democrats’ version of a funding bill.

“Hear that, Mr. Speaker?” Schumer shouted. “Good Americans in your own state… will die. All because the Speaker chose to keep the House on vacation rather than negotiate with Democrats and end their Trump shutdown. Shameful.”

Republicans swiftly condemned Schumer’s comments as heartless and politically motivated, while the White House — led by President Donald Trump — blasted them as “disgusting and revealing.”

“Chuck Schumer just said the quiet part out loud: Democrats are gleefully inflicting pain on the American people over their push to give illegal aliens free health care,” said White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson.

“Workers are missing paychecks; travelers are missing flights; businesses are struggling; military families are forced to rely on food pantries. But to Chuck Schumer, that means ‘every day gets better.’ No matter what he thinks, Americans struggling is not good — and Democrats must stop inflicting this pain on them and reopen the government now,” Jackson continued.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed the criticism in a post on X, writing: “While federal workers stress over missed paychecks, military families turn to food pantries, and airports around the country face delays — Chuck Schumer and the Democrats are bragging that ‘every day gets better’ for them. What a disgusting and revealing statement.”

The shutdown — now in its tenth day — has left hundreds of thousands of federal workers without pay and shuttered nonessential government services. Economists estimate the standoff is costing the U.S. economy as much as $2 billion a week in lost productivity and delayed contracts.

During a Cabinet meeting Thursday, President Trump accused Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D–NY) of “holding the entire federal government hostage.”

“So Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries and the Congressional Democrats are holding the government hostage,” Trump said. “They’re doing it because they want free healthcare for illegal immigrants, and because Chuck’s afraid Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is going to run against him. He’s terrified of his own party.”

President Trump predicted Schumer would “retire soon,” pointing to plummeting poll numbers and rising discontent among moderate Democrats.

Meanwhile, pressure is mounting within Schumer’s own ranks. In New York, far-left candidate Zohran Mamdani has surged in the city’s mayoral race, and rumors persist that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D–NY) could challenge Schumer for his Senate seat in 2026 — though she has not officially declared.

For now, there is no sign of resolution. Congressional leaders will meet again Friday, but the two parties remain deeply divided on spending and immigration — and the political damage appears to be growing by the day.