{"id":14223,"date":"2025-10-09T08:46:47","date_gmt":"2025-10-09T08:46:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/chuck-schumers-critics-are-praising-how-hes-handled-the-shutdown-for-now\/"},"modified":"2025-10-09T08:46:47","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T08:46:47","slug":"chuck-schumers-critics-are-praising-how-hes-handled-the-shutdown-for-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/chuck-schumers-critics-are-praising-how-hes-handled-the-shutdown-for-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Chuck Schumer\u2019s critics are praising how he\u2019s handled the shutdown. For now."},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Chuck Schumer<\/a> ended the last shutdown standoff as a villain to Democrats outraged at his decision to surrender to Republicans. This time, the Senate minority leader has heeded the party base, sparking a showdown that has kept government agencies closed for eight days and counting.<\/p>\n

So far, his former critics are impressed. But that doesn\u2019t mean they trust him.<\/p>\n

A Blue Light News survey of lawmakers and activists found Schumer has exceeded their low expectations heading into the current shutdown, but they\u2019re still watching his every move closely amid persistent doubts that Senate Democrats will hold the line against the GOP.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe hasn\u2019t surrendered yet,\u201d said Indivisible co-founder Ezra Levin, who called on Schumer to step down in March<\/a>. \u201cI call that progress, and we\u2019re cheering him on now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rep. Glenn Ivey<\/a> (D-Md.), who said in March \u201cit may be time\u201d<\/a> for Schumer to step aside, is now pleased with the top Senate leader\u2019s coordination with top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries<\/a> \u2014 at least \u201cat this point.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it looks great right now,\u201d Ivey said, adding that the collaboration between the two leaders was \u201cmoving things in the right direction for both the House and the Senate Democrats.\u201d<\/p>\n

The guardedly positive reviews for Schumer\u2019s leadership come as the shutdown fight enters a politically perilous new phase. Real-world impacts of the funding lapse are likely to mount in the coming days, with most federal workers set to miss a paycheck Friday and active-duty troops next Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Air travel has been sporadically affected due to shortages in air traffic controllers, and Smithsonian museums are set to close later this week, to name a few of the mounting consequences. All but three Senate Democrats voted Wednesday for the sixth time<\/a>against a House-passed bill that would reopen the government.<\/p>\n

Senior Republicans have put Schumer at the center of their shutdown blame game, asserting that it\u2019s his fear of the Democratic base \u2014 and specifically, a possible 2028 primary challenge from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez \u2014 that is prolonging the impasse.<\/p>\n

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise<\/a> accused Schumer Wednesday of \u201cthrowing a tantrum\u201d, while Speaker Mike Johnson said the New York Democrat was engaged in \u201cdesperate attempts to rehabilitate his own image\u201d by bowing to \u201cthe Marxist flank of their party.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re coming for him,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s some truth to those charges. One House Democrat, granted anonymity to candidly discuss the shutdown dynamics, said they would publicly call for Schumer to give up his leadership post if he folds now.<\/p>\n

An aide to a senior House Democrat agreed that the dam could break should that happen, saying a significant number of lawmakers would be inclined to push for Schumer\u2019s ouster.<\/p>\n

Back in March, House Democrats united against the GOP spending bill. In the Senate, however, Democrats were divided on how to proceed on legislation that had no guardrails to prevent the White House from clawing back congressionally approved spending.<\/p>\n

As the deadline approached to avoid a funding lapse, Schumer capitulated, saying he feared a shutdown could allow President Donald Trump to unleash more havoc on federal agencies and workers. He and nine other Democrats voted to advance the Republican bill.<\/p>\n

That prompted a handful of House Democrats to publicly call for Schumer to step aside as leader, with some even mulling whether to back<\/a> a primary challenger against him. Underscoring the House frustrations, Jeffries conspicuously sidestepped questions<\/a> about Schumer\u2019s leadership at a news conference.<\/p>\n

Now Schumer and Jeffries are in much closer coordination, arguing in lockstep that Trump is dead set on unleashing havoc, shutdown or not. They\u2019re also saying it is imperative for Republicans to address health care as a part of any government funding package \u2014 specifically by extending enhanced health insurance subsidies that will expire on Dec. 31 unless Congress acts.<\/p>\n

Asked Wednesday whether he was acting out of fear of his party\u2019s left flank, Schumer insisted to reporters that was not the case.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bottom line is very simple: We’re fighting for the American people,\u201d he said. \u201cFifty-five percent of Trump voters, hardly a flank in our party, want [the subsidies extended]. That’s why we’re doing it. We believe that’s our job. The American people are crying out for help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, there are some divides between the two leaders. Jeffries has noticeably staked<\/a> out tougher demands and a harsher tone in the shutdown fight than Schumer \u2014 arguing, for instance, that any deal on the health subsidy extension needs to be written into \u201cironclad\u201d legislation. Democrats in both chambers are also demanding an end to \u201crescissions,\u201d or Trump administration attempts to revoke funding for programs previously enacted by Congress.<\/p>\n

Schumer, meanwhile, has resisted drawing red lines as many of his members signal they\u2019d be willing to open up the government for something less than a final enacted health care deal. \u201cI’m not going to negotiate in public,\u201d he said Wednesday. \u201cWe have to do something. We have to extend these credits.\u201d<\/p>\n

That split between the two leaders has made some of Schumer\u2019s critics distrustful, with many keeping a close eye on the thus-far-infomal bipartisan talks involving some of the Senate Democrats who voted to advance the GOP bill in March.<\/p>\n

Wary progressives believe those senators \u2014 perhaps with Schumer\u2019s blessing \u2014 will agree to reopen the government in exchange for no more than a verbal assurance to continue negotiating an extension to the subsidies that Republicans could renege on later.<\/p>\n

\u201cA handshake agreement is capitulation,\u201d Levin said. \u201cHealth care and rescission language is the demand, and it\u2019s broadly popular. No reason to cave for less.”<\/p>\n

Rep. Troy Carter<\/a> (D-La.) told reporters last week, \u201cThe American people cannot live on promises.\u201d<\/p>\n

For now, however, Democrats are reveling in moments of GOP disunity this week exposed by splits<\/a> on handling the expiring insurance subsidies as well as the Trump administration\u2019s escalating threats against federal employees, including mass firings or the withholding of back pay for furloughed workers. That has only hardened Democrats\u2019 resolve to continue the shutdown.<\/p>\n

Sen. Chris Murphy<\/a> (D-Conn.), who broke with Schumer on the March vote and called on Democrats<\/a> at that time to \u201cstand up and take some risks,\u201d said this week that he has been pleased by the new tone set at the top.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people wondered whether we would be bullied again, and we have not been,\u201d he said. \u201cSo I think Sen. Schumer understands the gravity of this moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Senate is doing exactly what we need them to do,\u201d added purple-district Rep. Derek Tran<\/a> (D-Calif.).<\/p>\n

But Rep. Jimmy Gomez<\/a>, another California Democrat, said he was content to watch Schumer manage the politics of his own chamber, saying those threatening to oust him as leader were \u201cjust all posturing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s easy for us to say that,\u201d he said. \u201cIf their own delegation starts turning on them \u2014 New York \u2014 that’s a different story.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jordain Carney contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chuck Schumer ended the last shutdown standoff as a villain to Democrats outraged at his decision to surrender to Republicans. This time, the Senate minority leader has heeded the party base, sparking a showdown that has kept government agencies closed for eight days and counting. So far, his former critics are impressed. But that doesn\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-congress"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14223\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}