WASHINGTON – After weeks of frustration with President Donald Trump, the Democratic base has turned its ire on a new target: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the 10 Democratic senators who voted to advance a Republican funding bill rather than shut down the government.
A government shutdown was set to happen at the end of the day Friday. As the clock ticked, Senate Democrats were in an unenviable position. They were forced to choose between a GOP bill that reprioritizes federal funding to reflect Trump’s priorities and gives him more leeway in spending decisions, or shut down the federal government.
After days of mounting pressure – and lively intraparty fights behind closed doors – Schumer announced Thursday night that he would vote for the funding extension, clearing the path for other senators to join him.
Then the floodgates opened.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., told reporters Thursday that there is “a deep sense of outrage and betrayal” and said Senate Democrats must “correct course.” Now other House Democrats and New York politicos are urging her to mount a primary challenge to him when he is next up for re-election in 2028.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., released a scathing statement urging Democratic senators to “listen to the women,” referencing top appropriations committee members Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash. and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., who both voted against the bill. “Democrats must not buy into this false choice. We must fight back for a better way,” she said.
Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, said in a statement that “the biggest split among Democrats is between those who want to stand and fight and those who want to play dead.”
House Democrats were unified to “stand and fight against (Elon) Musk and Trump’s theft,” he said. “Too many Senate Democrats played dead.”
And House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries returned to the Capitol Friday to urge his Senate colleagues to vote against the bill. Asked repeatedly whether he had lost confidence in Schumer or whether it’s time for new leadership in the Senate, Jeffries said: “Next question.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) leaves the Democratic caucus lunch at the U.S. Capitol on March 13, 2025 in Washington, DC.
The backlash comes as Democrats seek to find their footing in the new Washington, where Republicans control the White House, House and Senate.
Republicans’ lack of a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate – where 60 votes are needed to advance most legislation – is the only real leverage Democrats have.
Democrats are livid with the changes Trump and his billionaire advisor, Elon Musk, have wrought on the federal government. They have fired tens of thousands of federal workers and all but eliminated federal agencies without Congressional approval, despite Congress’ constitutionally-mandated power over federal government spending.
Speaking to reporters after announcing his vote Thursday night, Schumer argued a shutdown would give Trump and Musk “complete freedom” to determine which parts of the government to fund.
“There is very little court check, and they would use their power in a shutdown, to decimate the government,” he said.
He told The New York Times Friday that constituents and activists would be more upset if that happened. In the meantime, he said, “I’ll take some of the bullets.”
But the Democratic base has seen the move as a capitulation to Trump.
Protesters rallied outside Schumer’s offices and his house in Brooklyn. A grassroots Democratic group that pushed for former President Joe Biden to leave the 2024 presidential race called for Schumer to step down as minority leader. Other Democratic leaders urged their party’s senators to use their power to stand up to the president, from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to former Democratic Party Chair Jamie Harrison.
It didn’t help that Trump himself praised Schumer for the decision, writing on Truth Social that Schumer’s choice was “the right thing” and a “really good and smart move.”
Senate Democrats who voted against the funding extension did not directly criticize the senator who has led the Democratic caucus since 2017, but were clear they disagreed with the decision.
Asked by USA TODAY whether he had confidence in Schumer’s leadership, Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., said he is asking for a “post-mortem” to explore how they got “to the point where the Democrats found themselves in such a poor bargaining position that some members felt they had no choice but to vote for this, instead of getting us in a position where we had an opportunity to truly negotiate for the values that we care about.”
“I think that would help me build even more confidence in his leadership,” Gallego said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Democrats rage as Schumer, 9 other senators vote to avoid shutdown
