Schumer brushes off leadership questions: ‘My caucus and I are in sync’

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) brushed off questions surrounding his leadership and defended his decision to vote to advance the six-month GOP-crafted continuing resolution (CR) that will fund the government through the end of September, saying during an interview that he and his caucus are on the same page.

Schumer was asked on CNN by Jake Tapper if the long-time lawmaker was “worried” about his leadership position after getting fierce pushback from House Democrats and some senators in his conference about his decision to vote to move forward a funding bill that he said previously was “bad.”

“I think I had the overwhelming support in my caucus, and so many of the members thanked me and said, 'You did what you thought was courageous, and we respect it.' I think my caucus and I are in sync, and everyone knew what I was doing and respected it,” Schumer said during his Friday appearance on CNN.

Schumer told Senate Democrats during a lunch meeting Thursday and later in the day affirmed that he would vote to advance the GOP-led CR in order to avoid a shutdown. On Wednesday, he said the House bill did not have enough votes to pass.

“I believe it is my job to make the best choice for the country, to minimize the harms to the American people. Therefore, I will vote to keep the government open and not shut it down,” Schumer said Thursday on the Senate floor.

The New York senator emphasized, again, on Friday that the House funding resolution is a “bad bill,” but also argued that it would be “far worse to give [President] Donald Trump the keys to the city and the country,” if the CR fails.

“We all know that [Elon] Musk and DOGE [Department of Government Efficiency] and Trump want to decimate the federal government and letting them shut down the government, allowing them to shut down the government, they would have done it within two, three weeks,” Schumer said on Friday before the final vote on the resolution.

Schumer, along with nine other Democrats, voted with Republicans to help advance the CR to the final vote. The bill advanced with a 62-38 vote on Friday.

Shortly after, the Senate passed the House-led bill to avert a government shutdown with a 54-46 vote. Only two Democrats, Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Angus King (Maine), an independent who caucuses with the party, voted for the measure. On the Republican side, only Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) voted against the CR.

Only one Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden (Maine), who represents a battleground district, voted for the CR in the lower chamber. Tapper asked Schumer what message he wants to give to those toss-up district House Democrats as well as senators in purple states that opted against backing the funding bill.

“I respect what the House members did. I'm glad all of them voted against it, but as I said, it is much different in the Senate, where if you would have voted against the bill, and the bill would have gone down, the whole government would have shut down from one end to the other, creating dramatic and huge hardship for tens of millions of Americans,” Schumer said.

Topics

I keep fantasising about living in total solitude in a forest

Maybe your isolation vision reflects a need to escape from the weight of responsibility that life inevitably brings. The question I am a woman in my early 30s and about two years ago, I moved ...
The Guardian - 5d
Should I pay off my tax debt before my credit card debt? Experts weigh in

Focusing on tax debt first can be a smart move, experts say, but that won't be the case for everyone.
CBS News - 2d
My stepmother inherited 100% of my father’s estate. She’s leaving everything to her two kids. Is that fair?

“I had a wonderful relationship with my father.”
MarketWatch - 18h
Every Move I Make, She’ll Be Watching Me

At 50, am I too old to be sharing my location with my mother?
The New York Times - Mar. 7
My phone knows what I want before I do. That should be worrying – but it’s oddly comforting | Emma Beddington

On the downside, all my personal data is being harvested by faceless corporations. On the up, I’ve got a little parent in my pocket, anticipating my every need. I awoke recently to one of those ...
The Guardian - 4d
My husband has dementia and will need care. Will Medicaid go after my money if I use it to pay off our mortgage?

“We still have around $300,000 left on our mortgage.”
MarketWatch - 4h
The one change that worked: I committed to therapy – and began to chip away at my grief and depression

When my mother died, my mental health fell into decline. I tried everything from CBT to mindfulness, until one day something finally shifted. I used to think I was great at therapy. From 17 to 23, ...
The Guardian - 4d
My petty gripe: people keep throwing food away without asking me if I want it. Of course I do!

What does it cost you to let others finish your bowl of chips at the pub? What do you gain by binning the soggy fruit salad?. Last week’s chicken too dry to finish off. A carrot so old it flops ...
The Guardian - 4d
Democratic anger over 'Schumer surrender' shows party's deep divisions on how to take on Trump

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer finds himself sharply at odds with many members of his caucus, fellow Democrats in the House and liberal activists.
NBC News - 9h

Schumer brushes off leadership questions: ‘My caucus and I are in sync’

Topics

Related

I keep fantasising about living in total solitude in a forest

Should I pay off my tax debt before my credit card debt? Experts weigh in

My stepmother inherited 100% of my father’s estate. She’s leaving everything to her two kids. Is that fair?

Every Move I Make, She’ll Be Watching Me

My phone knows what I want before I do. That should be worrying – but it’s oddly comforting | Emma Beddington

My husband has dementia and will need care. Will Medicaid go after my money if I use it to pay off our mortgage?

The one change that worked: I committed to therapy – and began to chip away at my grief and depression

My petty gripe: people keep throwing food away without asking me if I want it. Of course I do!

Democratic anger over 'Schumer surrender' shows party's deep divisions on how to take on Trump

More from The Hill

Trump rolls back over a dozen Biden-era executive orders, actions

Senate GOP campaign arm targets Ossoff over vote against funding bill in digital ad

Appeals court reinstates portions of Trump’s DEI orders

Rubio declares South African ambassador to US 'persona non grata' over Trump comments

Congress averts a shutdown — but Democratic divisions ensue: 5 takeaways

More in Politics

Trump rolls back over a dozen Biden-era executive orders, actions

Senate GOP campaign arm targets Ossoff over vote against funding bill in digital ad

Appeals court reinstates portions of Trump’s DEI orders

Rubio declares South African ambassador to US 'persona non grata' over Trump comments

Congress averts a shutdown — but Democratic divisions ensue: 5 takeaways