Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is facing intense backlash from within his own party after conceding to Republican demands on a government funding bill.
The controversy erupted after Schumer acknowledged that Democrats would not oppose a Republican-backed continuing resolution, allowing government operations to continue and averting a shutdown.
His decision has angered members of his party, who believe he surrendered key leverage.
Schumer justified his choice by arguing that shutting down the government would ultimately benefit President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers, who hold majorities in both the House and Senate.
“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 stated Thursday on the Senate floor.
“While the CR bill is very bad, the potential for a shutdown has consequences for America that are much, much worse,” he added.
Schumer was not alone in his stance, as nine other Senate Democrats joined him in advancing the stopgap funding measure, which ensures government operations through September.
Among those leading the charge against Schumer was Ocasio-Cortez, a vocal critic of her party’s established leaders.
“It is almost unthinkable why Senate Democrats would vote to hand the few pieces of leverage that we have away for free when we’ve been sent here to protect Social Security, protect Medicaid, and protect Medicare,” she said in an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN.
“I cannot urge enough how bad of an idea it is to empower and enable Donald Trump and Elon Musk in this moment. It is dangerous and it is reckless,” she continued.
Ocasio-Cortez pointed to town hall meetings where Republican lawmakers were confronted by constituents angered over government funding cuts.
“If anyone has held a town hall — or has seen what has been happening in town halls — 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,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
“This continuing resolution codifies much of this chaos that Elon Musk is wreaking havoc on the federal government. It codifies many of those changes.”
Schumer’s decision has frustrated not only the party’s progressive wing but also some moderates, according to a CNN report.
Some disillusioned Democrats are now considering backing a Senate challenge from Ocasio-Cortez, with one anonymous member reportedly saying they were ready to “write checks for AOC for Senate.”
When pressed by Tapper on whether she was seriously considering a primary run, Ocasio-Cortez refused to give a clear answer.
“We have time to correct course on this decision. Senate Democrats can vote no. We can correct course, and that is the most important thing in front of us right now,” she responded.
Schumer, meanwhile, dismissed speculation about his leadership being in jeopardy and defended his actions.
During another CNN interview, Tapper asked Schumer whether he was concerned about his standing in the Democratic Party following the strong criticism he has received.
“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 stated Friday.
“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,” he added.
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AOC and the progressive Dems have a death wish.
AOC couldn’t find a town hall if she were tied to a chair in the room.