Democrats publicly called for Chuck Schumer to step down as Senate minority leader, highlighting the division within the party over how to stand up and counter the Donald Trump administration.
Maryland’s Glen Ivy said Tuesday that Schumer’s decision to pass the Republican fundraising bill has abandoned key leverage for the administration.
“I respect Chuck Schumer. I think he had a great career,” Ivy said he was filled with Hall, Maryland. “But it may be time for Senate Democrats to acquire a new leader.”
Rebel met applause at a meeting in Prince George County, home to thousands of federal workers adjacent to Washington, D.C. — marks the first general demand from Democrats for the removal of Schumer.
Ivy’s callout added to deepening democratic divisions about how Trump and Elon Musk fight the so-called “government efficiency,” which cuts down thousands of federal jobs and spurs courts into engagement. After the Schumer Senator Caucus was broken, Democrats and their constituents argue that they have abandoned a great opportunity for Senate minority leaders to resist these actions by making Republican fundraising bills very easily passed.
However, Ivy couldn’t get off so easily, and at one point the city hall got him on. Attendees repeatedly suspended lawmakers to demand more positive action on Trump’s policies, rather than the 2026 midterm elections.
“You’re talking about voting! People are losing their lives!” shouted a woman from the rafters. “It’s not business as usual! You’re calm.”
Despite growing objections, House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries publicly supported Schumer on Tuesday. When asked last Friday if it was time for new Senate leadership, Jeffries simply replied, “next question.”
The two New York Democrats met on Sunday and issued a joint statement Tuesday morning, vowing to fight potential Medicaid cuts on the Republican budget settlement bill.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi offered her own criticism of his decision at a press conference in San Francisco while she said she still supports Schumer.
“I myself give nothing for nothing,” Pelosi told reporters. “In my opinion, I was able to make them agree to a third method.”
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is one of the most outspoken lawmakers warning Schumer, telling reporters in Leesburg, Virginia last week that she mobilized Democratic supporters for what she called the GOP bill “earning.”
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“We have members of Congress who have walked the planks to protect Americans and won Trump-owned districts in some of the hardest territories in the United States that took countless risks,” she said. “Just seeing Senate Democrats consider signing up for Elon Musk, I think it’s a big slap in the face.”
Democrat failure has raised Ocasio-Cortez’s profile, with a CNN investigation released on Sunday showing that she has a slight lead over the party when asked which political leaders “reflecting the core values of the Democratic Party.”
Schumer defended his decision when he appeared in vision Tuesday and faced particularly pointy criticism from co-host Sunny Hostin.
“We can’t tell you this because we’re friends, but I think you’ve fallen into a cave,” Hostin told Senate minority leaders. “I don’t think you and nine other Democrats have shown the fight that this party needs right now, as they’re playing in rules books that other parties have abandoned that rule books.”
Schumer claimed: “No one wants to fight more than me, and no one fights more than me.” While the bill is “bad,” it argues that it will cause “a lot less damage” to the social safety net than the government shutdown.
“I want to fight, and we’re fighting. We’re going to fight every day, every day,” he said. “We want to stick it on them. We stick with them, fight wisely, win.”
