‘Schumer Must Resign’ as Senate Dem Leader?
Democrats agreed to invoke cloture on the continuing resolution (CR) in exchange for considering four amendments to it. Republican senators then swiftly rejected the amendments. I am not sure why Dems seem to always get sucked into deals and lose.
After Republicans agreeing to review Dem amendments to the bill, eight Democrats voted with Republicans to pass the bill. Repubs reviewed the amendments and rejected them. The Bill passed 62-38, a procedural vote requiring 60 votes . . . which Dems gave in support of the bill. Said another way? Taken again for the ride.
“Sen. Schumer has capitulated to Trump, Musk, and all the Republicans in Congress hell-bent on attacking our Constitution and dismantling the federal government,” said one advocacy leader.
‘Schumer Must Resign’ as Senate Dem Leader After Helping Advance GOP Spending Bill, Common Dreams
Calls for U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to resign from his leadership post escalated on Friday after the New Yorker led nine other members of the Democratic caucus in helping Republicans advance a GOP stopgap funding bill to a final vote.
Those who stood with Schumer and Republicans for the 62-38 procedural vote—which required at least yes 60 votes—are Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine as well as Democratic Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.), Dick Durbin (Ill.), John Fetterman (Pa.), Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (N.H.), Gary Peters (Mich.), Brian Schatz (Hawaii), and Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.).
The Democrats agreed to invoke cloture on the continuing resolution (CR) in exchange for considering four amendments to it. Republican senators then swiftly rejected Sen. Jeff Merkley’s (D-Ore.) amendment to restore Internal Revenue Service funding, Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s (D-Ill.) amendment to rehire fired military veteran federal employees, and Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s (D-Md.) amendment to eliminate DOGE.
A bipartisan majority also defeated Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) amendment to codify DOGE cuts to United States Agency for International Development and foreign aid into law. Senators then passed the stopgap bill, H.R. 1968; the 54-46 vote was mostly along party lines, with Shaheen and King voting yes, and Paul voting no. President Donald Trump is expected to sign it.
While Schumer has tried to argue that averting a midnight government shutdown with the bill was the best available option, critics across the country—including other elected Democrats—have warned that the stopgap measure will further embolden Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, head of the president’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), as they take a chainsaw to the federal bureaucracy.
“In handing over the votes necessary for this terrible budget bill to become law, Sen. Schumer has capitulated to Trump, Musk, and all the Republicans in Congress hell-bent on attacking our Constitution and dismantling the federal government,” Food & Water Watch executive director Wenonah Hauter said in a Friday statement. “Schumer has lost the confidence of a critical mass of well-meaning people around the country. He must step down from his leadership role in the Senate now, so a sufficiently determined resistance to the disastrous Trump-Musk agenda can be allowed to rise up and act before it’s too late.”
Hauter wasn’t alone in declaring that “Schumer must resign” after caving to Trump and congressional Republicans on the CR, which funds the government through the end of September. Human rights lawyer and former Democratic congressional candidate Qasim Rashid published a Friday blog post titled, “Chuck Schumer Must Resign & Democrats Must Change or Risk Abandonment.”
“Let’s be clear: MAGAs control the House, the Senate, and the White House. The Democratic Party is not in its strongest position, and every single day Trump and Musk are working to gut democracy, attack working families, and consolidate power,” Rashid wrote. “And yet, when given the opportunity to use the one piece [of] leverage Democrats have—forcing Republicans to own the government shutdown—Schumer is folding like a cardboard box in a rainstorm.”
“This isn’t just betrayal. It’s utter incompetence,” he added. “We don’t need more politicians holding tiny signs and coordinating outfits while Trump consolidates power and enables fascism. We need leadership with the courage to fight injustice and hold the line when it matters.”
Executive director of the youth-led, climate-focused Sunrise Movement, Aru Shiney-Ajay declared that “today was a spectacular display of cowardice from Sen. Schumer. This morning, Chuck Schumer arrested 11 young people at his office rather than look them in the eye. This afternoon, he gave Elon Musk the keys to the government.”
“Donald Trump and Elon Musk are hurtling our country toward disaster. They are gutting our education system, enabling oil billionaires to burn the planet, and destroying vital government programs that millions rely on,” Shiney-Ajay continued. “Young people are fighting back. We’re showing up to Republican congressional town halls. We’re protesting at federal buildings and state capitals. Meanwhile, Chuck Schumer sits on the sidelines.”
“The budget is one of the only pieces of leverage Democrats have, and Schumer just gave it away. That’s incredibly reckless. It’s the opposite of what we need from Democratic leaders right now,” she added. “Chuck Schumer needs to step aside. Our democracy and our climate and our families can’t afford even another month of this bullshit.”
They should have filibustered. Schumer embodies what is wrong with the Democratic Party these days. It has become a Conservative Party, sclerotic, geriatric and anachronistic. The Democrats desperately need a new generation of leaders.
The problem with giving Schumer the boot is that it is by no means clear who will take his place. There’s push and there’s pull. I get the push but I’m not seeing the pull yet.
Emotions are important, so going forward maybe a new leader makes sense. Still, it was pretty wishful thinking that this possible filibuster gave Democrats leverage over this process. Note the lack of specificity by the critics quoted here. The House was the ballgame here and Johnson managed to get something through that Senate Republicans were okay with. You can filibuster with 41 Senators, but it’s not leverage unless that bothers 51 Senators. This one didn’t. Look hard at the Democrats who vote for cloture: leadership, announced retirees, a guy who isn’t actually a Democrat, Fetterman who took this position publicly well in advance. A few others. Feels more like a case of ‘we have 39 possible “no votes”. Rand Paul keeps us from 40. Dick and I are out. Our retirees are out. Angus is out. John already is out. Kristen said she’ll do. Can we find just a few more? Thanks.’
Schumer thought Trump and Musk could do more damage with a shut down where they could designate what was essential and what was not. I’m not sure that’s all that different from what they’re doing now. The CR allows Trump discretion over how the money is used. Truly a terrible pair of choices. I think they needed the symbolism of shutting down the government and blaming it on the Republican House who took their ball and went home so they wouldn’t have to negotiate or vote on alternatives.
@Jack,
Since the goal of DOGE is to shrink the federal government to the size it would be durning a shut-down, it’s a distinction without a difference. At least Schumer et al. could have told their base “we stood up to the Trump extremists.” Now, they’re just complicit. Until Schumer is replaced, Senate Democrats will keep being played. Yes, Trump and Musk are unpopular and will probably flip Congress in the midterms (if there *are* midterms), but by then, Democrats will get to rule over the ashes.
Jack:
You are stating it was the best of the worst decisions to be made? I wish Schumer had said more than just standing there.
@Bill,
I thought the proposal to vote for a 30-day CR was better.