‘Disastrous, Cruel, and Dumb’: Schumer Levels Scathing Criticism At Trump After Spending Freeze Reversal

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) delivered scathing criticism Wednesday of President Donald Trump’s short-lived freeze on federal grants, following the administration’s decision to rescind the controversial memo.

“We’re back here again because of new circumstances. But we appreciate your coming in on short order. So today we saw what happens when Americans fight back against disastrous policies. Americans made their voices heard. Donald Trump rescinded the OMB order,” Schumer began claiming victory.

“When the Trump administration announced this awful directive on Monday night, we knew immediately it was shortsighted, disastrous, cruel, and dumb,” he added during the press conference on Capitol Hill.

The Democratic leader slammed the Trump administration for not considering the memo’s sweeping impact and the damage it could cause to ordinary Americans.

“Did President Trump know he was kneecapping cops and firefighters from purchasing literally lifesaving equipment like bulletproof vests and breathing gear?” Schumer asked. “Did President Trump know that he was destroying Puerto Rico’s assistance program, leaving a million Americans hungry?”

Schumer attributed the quick reversal to public backlash, saying, “The American people are outraged from one end of the country to the other, and it is clear that President Trump and his minions are feeling the heat.”

The minority leader also called on Trump to “rescind the nomination of Russell Vought – Trump’s nominee to run the Office of Management and Budget, the agency that issued the memo in the first place.

Vought was a key contributor to the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 agenda, which called for gutting government funding and massive cuts in the federal workforce.

Watch the clip above via C-SPAN.