Chuck Schumer surrounded by internal criticism and calls to step down: 'No longer effective and should be replaced'

Chuck Schumer is facing his darkest hour, yet again. After seven Democratic senators broke ranks to vote on a budget to reopen the government, the Senate Democratic minority leader has become the target of criticism from within and outside his own party.

Schumer, along with the majority of Democrats, voted against the Republican bill. The dissenting votes, however, were enough to give the bill half-sanction. The cracking of the group of senators he commands was a cause of internal reproach, calling into question his ability to keep his bloc united.

But not only that, the veteran New York politician also failed to achieve the goal after he proposed his own plan to end the longest government shutdown in history, which included an extension to some health coverage subsidies that expire next year. Republicans did pledge to put the subsidies to a vote in December, but without guaranteeing the outcome.

It was a double defeat for Schumer.

"The American people asked us over and over to fight for health care and to lower our costs overall," argued Sen. Elizabeth Warren, in words reported by the AP. "Obviously that broke apart at the end."

Warren, according to the agency, declined to answer whether she still trusted Schumer. Several Democratic senators avoided responding on the matter, though none publicly questioned his leadership. Their peers in the House, however, did:

"What I’d say to Senator Schumer is, ‘Did you lose control of your caucus, or did you give them permission to give in?’" questioned Rep. Seth W. Moulton. "Because we were finally making real progress on getting Americans healthcare that they can afford."

Moulton poured out that criticism in a visit to Harvard University that was covered by the campus newspaper, in which he insisted that Schumer had sent Donald Trump the message that he could "win these battles." Earlier, he had urged Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) on social media to oppose the front-runner:

"Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced," he posted, meanwhile, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said: "If you can’t lead the fight to stop healthcare premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?"

There have also been explicit endorsements, such as from Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), who according to the AP described Schumer's position as "impossible": "In my view, he did it well." Also praising his performance was Dick Durbin, the Senate's No. 2 Democrat. Durbin, however, was one of the Democrats (the only one in the leadership) who voted for the Republican proposal.

"I stand with Democratic leadership as they refuse to rubber stamp the full-scale Republican assault on Americans’ health care and I am proud of the majority of Senate Democrats who opposed this vote," Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin maintained in a statement. And he refocused the blame on Republicans, "The voters will never forget the day Trump turned his back on them so he could focus on building his gilded ballroom."

A delicate moment for Schumer

Schumer weathered a similar storm in March, when he ordered to keep the government open against the wishes of the more progressive Democratic wing. Despite internal reproaches, the senator seemed to have redirected his leadership with the unity of his caucus in October, when the current shutdown began.

At that time, Senator feel it necessary to come out and clear doubts about a possible step aside: "I’m not stepping down. ... I knew when I cast my vote against the government shutdown that there would be a lot of controversy."

Progressives like Delia Ramirez and Glenn Ivey had called for his head. Hakeem Jeffries himself, the party's House minority leader, refused to answer whether Schumer should continue to lead the party. He was even reportedly forced to postpone his new book tour, in the face of signs of discontent from his own.

The new storm comes at a delicate time for the Democratic leadership. "Speaker Emerita" Nancy Pelosi announced she would not seek reelection, ending a 40-year career. Her recent decision highlights the tenure of Schumer, who has held his seat since 1999. In 2016, he was elected leader in the Senate.

Pelosi's step aside coincides with the Democrats' success in the Nov. 4 elections, and the rise of socialist Zohran Mamdani. The party is now debating, according to analysts, between pivoting back toward the center or even further left.