Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) got himself into trouble right after Donald Trump returned to office because he refused to back a government shutdown during the first continuing resolution (CR) battle.
While Schumer did not back the GOP bill, he did get support for a procedural vote to allow a simple majority to pass it.
Schumer then faced calls to step down, which led to him playing hardball during the most recent CR fight. Even with healthcare subsidies not yet settled, the Democrat leader and members of his party appear to be backing off from another shutdown threat.
The calls for Schumer to step down as leader were very loud after that first CR fight, but the Senator was adamant that he was staying in place, saying that he was not worried about any perceived election issues.
He stated, “I knew when I cast my vote against … the government shutdown … that there would be a lot of controversy.”
Schumer then stated that while he did not like the CR, he thought shutting down the government would have been far worse.
But that led to the second CR fight, with healthcare now front and center for Democrats.
During Trump’s second CR tussle, Schumer and Democrats held firm, then shut down the government rather than pass the measure and work on healthcare after the fact.
There was a small group of Democrats who then started to work with Republicans to get a funding deal passed, which led to more calls for Schumer to step down.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) was among them, stating, "Look, I've worked with Sen. Schumer. He did an incredible job on the CHIPS Act, on the [Inflation Reduction Act], on infrastructure.”
He added, “But it's time for him to be replaced. He is not meeting the moment. He's out of touch with where the party's base is."
With healthcare still not settled, there had been whispers that the Dems might go for another shutdown, with some even predicting it, such as Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX). That, however, does not seem likely.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) recently addressed the issue, stating, “Importantly, passing these bills will help ensure that Congress, not President Trump and Russ Vought, decides how taxpayer dollars are spent—by once again providing hundreds of detailed spending directives and reasserting congressional control over these incredibly important spending decisions.”
Schumer himself added, “No. There are two separate tracks here. Democrats want to fund the appropriations, the spending bills all the way through 2026. We want to work with a bicameral, bipartisan way to do it. And the good news is our Republican appropriators are working with us, and we’re making good progress in that regard.”
So, you see the narrative forming. Democrats will portray this to the American people as a scenario in which they are really running the show, blocking Trump by securing protections in the CR, and the GOP will likely do the same. It would be nice if they could give each other a nod to at least make it appear they are working together in a bipartisan fashion, but today’s Congress is incapable of doing such a thing.
