Schumer responds to Democrats calling for his departure from leadership: 'I’m not stepping down'

Chuck Schumer (D-NY) assured that he will not resign as Democratic leader in the Senate, a post he has held since 2017 following the departure of Harry Reid. After ensuring passage of the Republican Continuing Resolution to avoid a government shutdown, the New York senator was the focus of much criticism from members of his party, including members of Congress, who even publicly called on him to step aside as leader.

Some progressives, such as Delia Ramirez and Glenn Ivey, called for Schumer's departure after some Senate Democrats avoided the shutdown along with Republicans.

However, the most unexpected comment came from Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic minority leader, who declined to answer whether Schumer should remain in the Senate leadership. "Next question," he responded after being asked by the press, demonstrating the growing internal fractures in the party.

"When I voted against the government shutdown I knew there would be a lot of controversy"

In this context, Schumer spoke to NBC's Meet the Press, where he sought to dispel doubts about his future. "Look, I’m not stepping down. And let me just say this, Kristen. I knew when I cast my vote against the government shutdown that there would be a lot of controversy. And there was," he told reporter Kristen Welker.

"I did this out of conviction. And, look, in my caucus, we have a disagreement as to some people voted one way, some people voted the other. But we’ve all agreed to respect each other because each side saw why the other side felt so strongly about it. And our caucus is united in fighting Donald Trump every step of the way," the Democrat added.

When it came time to vote, there were 10 Democrats, including Schumer, who joined Republicans in getting the CR past the Senate's filibuster rule, which requires at least 60 votes to move legislation out of debate and forward to a final vote, which is defined by a simple majority.

On that vote, Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Angus King (I-ME) were the only Democrats to go along with the Republican CR, while Rand Paul (R-KY) was the only GOP senator to vote against it.

In the NBC interview, Schumer explained his reasons for avoiding the shutdown. "The CR was certainly bad, you know, the continuing resolution. But a shutdown would be 15 or 20 times worse," he explained.

"Under a shutdown, the Executive Branch has sole power to determine what is ‘essential.’ And they can determine without any court supervision. The courts have ruled it’s solely up to the executive what to shut down. With Musk, and DOGE, and Trump, and this guy Vought, they would eviscerate the federal government," the Democrat continued.

In addition, Schumer referenced the Trump Administration's decision to revoke legal status and residency permits for more than 500,000 immigrants who came to the country under the Biden Administration, specifically under the umbrella of the program Humanitarian Parole for Citizens of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela (CHNV).

"Democracy is at risk. Look, Donald Trump is a lawless angry man who thinks he should be king. He thinks judges should listen to him and we must fight that in every way we can," he said.