Senate Democrats are so far resisting outside pressure to turn against their longtime leader Charles E. Schumer after he abandoned a party fight in favor of preventing a government shutdown, but the leading progressive voice in the caucus is not happy.
Mr. Schumer was one of 10 Senate Democrats who voted to end a filibuster of a Republican stopgap spending bill, although he and seven of those Democrats joined their party colleagues in opposition on final passage.
Democrats inside and outside Congress are furious at Mr. Schumer for greenlighting passage of a government funding bill that does nothing to check President Trump and his cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency.
“That is an absolute dereliction of duty on the part of the Democratic leadership,” Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with the Democrats and is a member of Mr. Schumer’s leadership team, said on social media. “Nobody in this Senate should have voted for this dangerous bill.”
The GOP stopgap, which keeps government spending running on autopilot through the Sept. 30 end of the fiscal year, passed the Senate Friday on a 54-46 vote.
Mr. Sanders said the bill “moves our country toward authoritarianism by usurping Congress’ constitutional responsibility to determine how federal funds are spent and creates at the same time a slush fund for Elon Musk and Donald Trump to continue their war against the working families of our country.”
SEE ALSO: GOP wins shutdown showdown with Senate Democrats ending filibuster of spending bill
Although Mr. Sanders’ social media post did not name Mr. Schumer directly, the senator had responded to reporters’ questions about the leader earlier in the day by teasing that he would have more to say later.
His post notably stopped short of calling for new leadership in the Senate, as some Democrats outside Congress were doing.
“With due respect, Senate Democrats should replace Sen. Schumer with a bold and strategic next-generation leader,” Dean Phillips, a former House Democrat and presidential candidate, said on social media. “Twenty five years in the Senate and eight as Leader is enough. It’s time for change.”
In the Senate, the criticisms were more muted as a handful of Democrats notably declined to say whether they still have confidence in their leader.
“I can only speak for my own decision,” Sen. Chris Murphy, Connecticut Democrat, said, noting he opposed advancing the GOP spending stopgap because of the harmful impacts it could have on the country and his state.
Most Senate Democrats asked about Mr. Schumer’s decision to help Republicans overcome a filibuster on the bill said they respect the minority leader’s decision — even several who voted a different way.
“I support Chuck Schumer,” Sen. Ben Ray Luján told The Washington Times.
Asked if he believes Mr. Schumer made the right decision in allowing the GOP stopgap to advance, he said Mr. Schumer had a tougher call than most to make as both the Democratic leader and individual senator.
“Every senator has a responsibility to their constituents across the country and go explain their votes to them,” said Mr. Luján, who voted against the stopgap as well as ending the filibuster.
Regardless of which side of the vote they fell on, Senate Democrats all agreed it was a tough call.
“This was a choice between two repugnant results,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Democrat. He said he did not fault Mr. Schumer, instead blaming Republicans for creating the no-win scenario.
Mr. Schumer said he believes his members understand and respect his choice.
“The bottom line is, you have to make these decisions based on what is best for not only your party but your country,” he said. “And I firmly believe and always have that I’ve made the right decision.”
Across the Capitol, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and his leadership team during a press conference Friday notably refused to back Schumer or his decision to avert a shutdown.
“Next question,” Mr. Jeffries said to multiple reporters asking about his fellow New York Democrat, including whether he has lost confidence in Mr. Schumer or if he believes it’s time for new leadership in the Senate.
When he finally answered one of the questions, Mr. Jeffries simply said the fight was larger than one individual.
“This is about the American people,” Mr. Jeffries said. “That’s our view, right? We made a decision based on the four corners of this bill. It will hurt everyday Americans, in our opinion, as Donald Trump and House Republicans have been doing for the last several weeks.”
Sen. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat who did not vote with Mr. Schumer to prevent a shutdown, said it’s easy for House Democrats to offer critiques when their votes weren’t a deciding factor in whether the government remains open.
“The House has the luxury of almost having a free vote,” he said.
Mr. Warner said he still has confidence in Mr. Schumer, but a few other Senate Democrats declined to answer that question.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts Democrat, ignored it, as well as a question about New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez’s rebuke of Mr. Schumer’s decision as a “betrayal.”
The senator did, however, offer a response to a question on whether Democrats are in the midst of a civil war.
“We are in the midst of a constitutional crisis provoked by co-presidents of the United States Musk and Trump, who don’t think that either the Constitution or the statutory law applies to them,” Ms. Warren said. “We’re fighting back on every front, but make no mistake, we’re fighting an enemy that does not follow the law, and that makes it pretty tough for lawmakers.”
Alex Miller contributed to this report.
