The backlash over Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to support a Republican-led government funding bill, has wrankled many members of the Democratic Party.
But his decision to back the bill to avert a government shutdown has now spilled over into a full-blown war of words with his long-time Democratic colleague and ally — Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
During a press conference in San Francisco, Pelosi confirmed to reporters that she had confidence in Schumer’s ability to lead the Democratic caucus in the Senate going forward when asked about Schumer’s recent move.
However, things took an abrupt turn when Pelosi quickly argued that Schumer made too many concessions to Republicans when he abruptly announced that he would vote to advance the GOP-crafted government funding bill.
“I myself don’t give away anything for nothing,” Pelosi said.
“I think that’s what happened the other day.”
Pelosi continued by elaborating on what she would have done if she was in Schumer’s position.
“We could have, in my view, perhaps gotten [Republicans] to agree to a third way,” she added, referring to a last-ditch proposal by congressional Democrats to extend current government spending for 30 days as negotiations on a longer-term bill take place.
“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 argued.
Pelosi, along with other Democrats, were not only vocal about not aligning with Republicans on the bill, but urging colleague to go against Schumer’s decision.
Pelosi recently pleaded with Senate Democrats hours before last week’s vote to defy Schumer and vote against the six-month spending bill.
“Donald Trump and Elon Musk have offered Congress a false choice between a government shutdown or a blank check that makes a devastating assault on the well-being of working families across America,” Pelosi said in a statement.
“[T]his false choice that some are buying instead of fighting is unacceptable,” she added.
Despite her jab at Schumer, Pelosi said that she’s moving on from the shutdown battle and is focused on the future.
“I’m concerned about the next time. I’m concerned about the future,” Pelosi said.
“What happened last week was last week. We’re going into the future.”
As for Schumer, he has been in damage control since the controversial move.
This week it was reported that he postponed his multistate book tour for “Antisemitism in America: A Warning”
He was scheduled to make appearances this week in Baltimore, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, with additional stops planned in California.
A spokesperson Schumer confirmed the events were being canceled, citing unspecified security issues as angry progressive activists had been organizing protests at each location.
Schumer was also confronted about his move on “The View” on Tuesday, claiming a shutdown would have wrought “devastation like we’ve never seen.”
Schumer said he “knew it was a difficult choice” to vote to end debate on the so-called “continuing resolution” Friday, but added that “I felt as a leader I had to do it.”
Fellow New Yorker, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., described Schumer’s decision to compromise with President Donald Trump’s administration as a “betrayal.”
“There is a deep sense of outrage and betrayal,” Ocasio-Cortez told reporters.
“And this is not just about progressive Democrats. This is across the board, the entire party.”
The escalating Democratic Party infighting comes at a challenging time for Democrats, who are still reeling from their electoral losses and searching for an effective opposition strategy against the Trump administration.
Democratic approval ratings have hit a historic, all-time low in recent weeks among voters.