House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi has joined her fellow congressional Democrats in criticizing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for his management of last week’s vote on the government shutdown.
“Personally, I don’t give away anything for free,” Pelosi remarked during a press conference in San Francisco on Tuesday. “That seems to be what occurred the other day.”
Instead of permitting a government shutdown or accepting the GOP funding plan, which Schumer had previously condemned, Pelosi suggested that Democrats should have attempted to convince Republicans to consider “a third way” with a temporary funding solution.
“While they may not have accepted it, at least the public would have witnessed their refusal,” she stated.
Pelosi expressed her “concern about the next time” a shutdown vote comes up later in the year, but she added, “What transpired last week is now behind us. We must move forward.” She also reaffirmed her support for Schumer.
Last week, Schumer opted to back a GOP continuing resolution to extend government funding until September 30, thereby avoiding a shutdown mere hours before the deadline.
Although the measure initially passed in the House with only one Democratic vote, Schumer initially stated he would oppose it and criticized President Trump for failing to negotiate with Democrats. However, he reversed his stance after concluding that a shutdown would pose a greater risk.
Ultimately, ten Senate Democrats, including Schumer, voted to push the measure past a procedural obstacle. The final Senate vote stood at 54-46, with two Democrats in support, but Schumer was not among them.
In an interview with “CBS Mornings” on Tuesday, Schumer defended his actions, arguing that a shutdown would be “ten times worse” than accepting the Republican plan.
“I anticipated protests when I cast this vote, but I believed it was necessary for the future, not just of the Democratic Party, but for the country as a whole,” he stated.
Schumer went on to say that he felt a shutdown would hand Mr. Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency too much influence over which services would be eliminated. He described Trump, Musk, and OMB Director Russ Vought as “evil, nasty, nihilistic individuals.”
The backlash against Schumer resulted in him postponing a promotional tour for his new book, “Antisemitism in America: A Warning,” citing “security concerns.
Earlier on Tuesday, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries expressed his support for Schumer continuing in his leadership role, following Jeffries’ prior non-committal response last week regarding whether the party needed “new leadership.”
When a reporter asked Jeffries at an event in New York on Tuesday, “Do you support his leadership of the Senate?” Jeffries replied, “Yes.”
In response to the follow-up question, “Yes what?” Jeffries clarified, “Yes, I do,” before proceeding to another inquiry.
