White House Condemns Schumer for ‘Disgusting’ Remarks Amid Ongoing Shutdown Crisis
The White House delivered a fierce response Thursday after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., was caught boasting that the ongoing federal government shutdown was “getting better” for Democrats — a comment conservatives slammed as tone-deaf and “disgusting” toward millions of struggling Americans.
Speaking to Punchbowl News, Schumer reportedly said, “Every day gets better for us,” boasting that Democrats had long prepared for the shutdown’s political fallout and were benefiting from Republican divisions. “We knew that health care would be the focal point on Sept. 30,” he added, suggesting Democrats planned their messaging strategy well in advance, Fox News reported.
The comment ignited outrage across Washington — especially from President Donald Trump’s White House — which accused Schumer of celebrating the very hardship facing American families.
“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 Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson in a statement to Fox News Digital. “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.’”
Jackson continued, “No matter what Chuck Schumer thinks, Americans struggling is not good, and the Democrats must stop inflicting this pain on them and reopen the government now.”
The shutdown — now entering its third week — has left key federal agencies shuttered, with growing uncertainty over whether furloughed employees will receive compensation once operations resume.
Republicans are laying the blame squarely on Schumer, accusing him of playing political games to appease the party’s far-left base. Some GOP leaders noted that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has fueled speculation about a possible 2026 primary challenge to Schumer — political pressure that could explain his hardline stance.
President Trump blasted Schumer directly during a Cabinet meeting, calling his comments “disgusting” and accusing him of “holding the government hostage.”
“Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries and the Congressional Democrats are holding the entire federal government hostage,” the President said. “He’s terrified AOC is going to run against him, and she probably will. His numbers are terrible — I don’t think he makes it another term.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed the criticism on X, writing: “While federal workers stress over missed paychecks, military families turn to food pantries, and airports face delays — Chuck Schumer and the Democrats are bragging that ‘every day gets better’ for them. What a disgusting and revealing statement. Democrats are gleeful about inflicting pain on the American people.”
Schumer’s office attempted to walk back the backlash by releasing part of his Senate floor remarks, arguing that his words were misrepresented. “Every day that Republicans refuse to negotiate to end this shutdown, the worse it gets for Americans — and the clearer it becomes who’s fighting for them,” Schumer said, claiming Democrats are the ones trying to “fix healthcare and end this shutdown.”
However, the White House is reportedly considering additional steps to apply pressure on Democrats. According to Fox News Digital, officials at the Office of Management and Budget have discussed potentially removing guaranteed backpay for furloughed federal employees — a reversal of a 2019 Trump-era law that ensured workers received full pay after previous shutdowns.
Such a move would raise the stakes dramatically, leaving tens of thousands of federal workers at risk of permanently losing wages the longer Democrats refuse to negotiate.
“The Democrats are playing games while Americans suffer,” one senior White House official told Fox News Digital. “They’re not negotiating in good faith. But this time, the American people see exactly who’s responsible.”