House Democrat Calls For Replacing Schumer As Senate Leader

Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-MD) voiced strong criticism of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) during a town hall on Tuesday, advocating for new leadership within the Democratic Party.

“I thought it was critical to make sure that we block that bill,” Ivey remarked regarding the GOP’s continuing resolution to fund the government for the remainder of the fiscal year, which largely maintains the current spending levels set under President Joe Biden.

Expressing disappointment, Ivey added, “I was deeply disappointed that Senator Schumer voted with the Republicans. You know you’re on bad ground when you get a personal tweet from Donald Trump thanking you for your vote.” He pointed out that Trump had personally acknowledged Schumer’s decision to support the spending bill.

Ivey implied that Democrats should prioritize standing in opposition to Trump and the Republican Party rather than working across the aisle, asserting, “We don’t want to be there. We don’t want to be there. And it’s important for us to make sure that, at this critical time, we’ve got leaders that are gonna take us in the right direction. We had [House Minority Leader] Hakeem Jeffries [D-N.Y.] lead the fight against the CR to the tune of 213 to one.”

“Schumer was on the other side. Hakeem met the moment, Schumer did not. And so I respect Chuck Schumer. I think he’s had a great long-standing career. He’s done a lot of great things. But I’m afraid that it may be time for the Senate Democrats to pick new leadership as we move forward,” Ivey continued, arguing that the party should have allowed a government shutdown despite historical warnings about its potential consequences.

Schumer staunchly defended his decision in multiple media appearances this week, including on CBS Mornings, where he contended that a shutdown would have fueled a Project 2025-driven effort to shrink the federal government while simultaneously weakening the judiciary—an essential check against Trump’s policies.

On CBS, Schumer further elaborated, stating, “One of the Republican senators who knows said to us, ‘You’ll be in the shutdown for six to nine months until we totally destroy the federal government.’ So the shutdown was a much worse alternative.”

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Ivey is not alone in questioning Schumer’s leadership, as noted by Axios:

During a separate town hall, Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) was asked whether Schumer should “retire or step down.” In response, she nodded her head and simply replied, “yes.” Her statement had not been publicly reported before.

Additionally, the progressive group Indivisible has called for Schumer to resign from his leadership role.

An anonymous House Democrat suggested that others in the party might share similar sentiments but have yet to voice them openly. “I think there are some already there but just haven’t been asked directly or avoided the question,” the lawmaker told Axios.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also appeared to criticize Schumer’s recent actions in a subtle manner.

Speaking at a press conference in San Francisco, Pelosi expressed confidence in Schumer’s ability to lead Senate Democrats but suggested he had made excessive concessions to Republicans when he unexpectedly decided to back the GOP-crafted government funding bill.

“I myself don’t give away anything for nothing,” Pelosi remarked. “I think that’s what happened the other day.”

Pelosi went on to suggest that Democrats might have been able to extract a better deal, stating, “We could have, in my view, perhaps gotten [Republicans] to agree to a third way.” She referenced a last-ditch effort by congressional Democrats to extend current government funding for an additional 30 days to allow time for negotiations on a broader spending bill.

“They may not have agreed to it, but at least the public would have seen them not agreeing to it—then [Republicans] would have been shutting the government down,” Pelosi reasoned.