Schumer in Big Trouble
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After the Senate passed a bill to end the federal government shutdown, the number of Democrat lawmakers critiquing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and calling for him to step down from leadership is growing fast. Is he in trouble?
Congressional Democrats are livid after a handful of their Senate colleagues voted Sunday to advance the House-passed stopgap and end the government shutdown.
Sen. Christ Murphy (D-Conn) called it a mistake. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) called it “a very bad night.” And Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Ca.) and Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of being ineffective and called for his removal.
“Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced,” Khanna said in a post on X following the vote. “If you can’t lead the fight to stop healthcare premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?”
After 40 days of stalemate, eight members of the Senate Democratic Caucus voted to advance the bill Sunday night, though notably none of the eight are up for reelection in 2026. But it’s Schumer – who voted no Sunday – who is now facing questions about his ability to lead the caucus.
Yes, you read that right – a group of House Democrats have accused Schumer of caving to Republicans after eight Senate Democrats crossed the aisle to end the government shutdown.
These eight Democrats voted to reopen the government. That’s common sense. But apparently, for some on the far Left, common sense equals betrayal.
The truth is those eight senators realized something the extreme Left didn’t: Keeping the government closed wasn’t hurting Republicans – it was hurting the American people, including the far-Left Senators’ constituents.
And let’s do the math here. With over 1,200 flight cancellations in a single day, government employees working without pay, and families wondering how to afford groceries, how exactly would continuing the shutdown have helped anyone? Look at Sen. Tim Kaine (VA), whose home state is full of both federal workers and military personnel. You can only imagine the enormous pressure he was under. You can only hold that line for so long.
Ending the shutdown was the exact right thing to do.
We were also joined on the broadcast by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who weighed in on the meeting between President Trump and the new president of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, at the White House. This is the first time the White House has hosted a Syrian president, and some have been critical of Trump for having President al-Sharaa in the White House.
Secretary Pompeo explained why it was not only the right move but also why we must establish a new relationship with the Syrian leader, who says he is committed to fighting terror:
[It was] most definitely the right choice for President Trump to make. Earlier, one of your guests said, “Trust but verify.” That’s absolutely the case. This guy’s got a long history. He was fighting with al Qaeda, and then he fought against Assad, whom we were also in opposition to. And so, he’s got a lot to prove and a very difficult task in front of him, but we should support him. We should encourage him. He is working with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He’s working with the Emirates. If we get this right, if Syria can be reunified – no small task – and if al-Sharaa is serious about countering extremism, this is a great thing for the U.S.
Obviously, no one is just accepting that this new Syrian leader is suddenly a good guy – seemingly far from it – but engagement is how you get results. President Trump met with Kim Jong Un and even the Taliban to protect American interests. You can’t move forward if you won’t even talk. It’s called diplomacy.
If Syria’s leadership can help unify the country, push out Iranian and Russian influence, and even start inching toward recognizing Israel’s right to exist – that would be historic.
Today’s Sekulow broadcast included more analysis of the vocal critics calling for Sen. Chuck Schumer to step down. We were also joined by Grégor Puppinck, Director of our international affiliate, the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ), who updated us on the critical human rights work our European office is doing.
Watch the full broadcast below: