Chuck Schumer Tells CNN's Jake Tapper His Shutdown Vote Was 'A Vote of Strength'; Other Dems Smell Blood

Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is tap dancing and doing damage control after declaring on Wednesday that the Senate Democrats would not vote for the continuing budget resolution (CR) passed by Republicans in the House of Representatives, then exposing his belly and caving on Friday, joining Senate Republicans to vote for the CR.

Schumer first went on MSNBC's "All In with Chris Hayes," to say why he decided not to shut down the government.

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Donald Trump and Elon Musk want a shutdown to destroy vital government services faster.

It would be a disaster.

And we have to alert everyone how much pain it would cause the American people.

From my interview on @AllInWithChris: pic.twitter.com/6qyEJQmEHE
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) March 14, 2025

Schumer is also dodging questions about how this decision may have affected his position of leadership, as House Democrats like squad member Ayanna Presley of Massachusetts, and Senate Democrats like Colorado's Michael Bennet took to CNN to express their displeasure at Schumer's change of heart.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) brushed off questions surrounding his leadership and defended his decision to vote to advance the six-month GOP-crafted continuing resolution (CR) that will fund the government through the end of September, saying during an interview that he and his caucus are on the same page.

Schumer also made the rounds on CNN with hard-hitting fauxnalist Jake Tapper. Tapper grilled him on why he made the decision to not shut the government down, and didn't he understand that Democrats are very angry with him?

TAPPER: Why are so many of them angry with you?
SCHUMER: First, we always knew there'd be disagreements. But I felt, and those who voted with me felt, as bad as the CR was, and I know a lot of members didn't like the CR, a government shutdown would be far worse. A government shutdown give Donald Trump, Elon Musk and DOGE almost complete power as to what to close down. Because they can decide what is an essential service. If they determine that SNAP, kids shouldn't get food is not essential, they can just cut it out summarily. They could fire half the workers in the federal government. It would have been a far worse consequence. Now, it wouldn't happen for a week or two. But my job as leader is to lead the party. And if there's going to be danger in the near future, to protect the party. And I'm proud I did it, I knew I did the right thing, and I knew there'd be some disagreements, that's how it always is.

Tapper then asked whether he was worried at all about his leadership position, referencing comments made earlier on the program by Bennet that Democratic leadership had, "No strategy, no plan, and no message on this spending bill." Schumer responded,

SCHUMER: Look, I think I have the overwhelming support of my caucus, and so many of the members thanked me and said you did what you thought was courageous and we respect it. I think I... my caucus and I are in sync and everyone knew what I was doing and respected it.

As our senior editor Joe Cunningham wrote, the GOP successfully branded the vote as the "Schumer Shutdown." Couple that with Democrat leadership in disarray, and House Speaker "Magic" Mike Johnson being undercover savage, Johnson was able to play Schumer like a Stradivarius.

Frankly, after years of watching former Republican House Speakers John Boehner, Paul Ryan, and Kevin McCarthy always give away the farm, it is a glorious thing to behold. What is also glorious is the Democrat sharks circling Schumer, preparing to take him down. As my colleague Rusty Weiss reported, Nancy Pelosi shivved Schumer but good, and pretty much said that had he listened to the women (hint, hint), things would have gone differently.

Donald Trump and Elon Musk have offered the 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.

Let’s be clear: neither is a good option for the American people. But this…
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) March 14, 2025

Donald Trump and Elon Musk have offered the 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.
Let’s be clear: neither is a good option for the American people. But this false choice that some are buying instead of fighting is unacceptable.
I salute Leader Hakeem Jeffries for his courageous rejection of this false choice, and I am proud of my colleagues in the House Democratic Caucus for their overwhelming vote against this bill.
Democratic senators should listen to the women. Appropriations leaders Rosa DeLauro and Patty Murray have eloquently presented the case that we must have a better choice: a four-week funding extension to keep government open and negotiate a bipartisan agreement.
America has experienced a Trump shutdown before – but this damaging legislation only makes matters worse. Democrats must not buy into this false choice. We must fight back for a better way. Listen to the women, For The People.

That has definitely left a mark, along with the always thirsty squad leader, New York's Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. It is an open secret that AOC wants to challenge Schumer for his Senate seat, and this show of weakness may just be what she needs to make her move to oust him in 2028.

“There is a deep sense of outrage and betrayal,” Ocasio-Cortez told reporters late Thursday, referring to Schumer’s decision. “And this is not just about progressive Democrats. This is across the board — the entire party.”
Schumer, who previously said Senate Democrats would not provide the needed votes to advance the House bill, argued passing the CR is less about its contents than the looming threat of a government shutdown.
“The Republican bill is a terrible option,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “It is deeply partisan. It doesn’t address far too many of this country’s needs. But I believe allowing Donald Trump to take even much more power via a government shutdown is a far worse option.”
His words echo the sentiments of Sen. John Fetterman who has also said he would vote in favor of the CR if it was approved in the House.
“We don’t agree with what’s been sent to us but, you know, if we withhold our votes, that is going to shut the government down,” Fetterman told host Stephanie Ruhle on MSNBC on Tuesday evening.
“And I think that’s one of our core responsibilities in the Senate or in the government here, to not ever … allow the government to shut down,” he added.
Ocasio-Cortez said their approach is “incorrect” and labeled their pending vote as a “slap in the face” to voters.

The Democrat activists are also none to happy. Of the parade of crazy that exists among this set, Van Jones is sometimes the most measured and more insightful among the bunch. Even he thinks that Schumer missed the mark on this decision and that it will ultimately cost him.

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