‘Trainwreck!’ More Democrats Fume at Shutdown Deal, Call for Schumer’s Head
Screenshot via Jared Moskowitz on X
House Democrats piled on Senate Democrats’ deal with Republicans on Monday, following eight senators breaking ranks and voting with Republicans to reopen the government in exchange for reinstating fired federal employees and the promise of a vote on Affordable Care Act funding in the near future.
Progressive Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) was so irate on Sunday night that he called for Senate Democrats to replace Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). On Monday, Khanna went further and said other House Democrats also want Schumer gone, but claimed they are too afraid to “offend a lot of donors.”
“Are we gonna be beholden to the donors that have gotten us two terms of Donald Trump, or are we gonna listen to people?” Khanna raged on the Breaking Points podcast.
Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA) joined to call for Schumer to step aside on Monday, writing on X, “Chuck Schumer has not met this moment and Senate Democrats would be wise to move on from his leadership.”
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) added, “Sen. Schumer has failed to meet this moment and is out of touch with the American people. The Democratic Party needs leaders who fight and deliver for working people. Schumer should step down.”
Other prominent Democrats fumed at the deal, which Schumer himself did not support and has spoken out against. Schumer posted on Monday, “I will not support the Republican bill that’s on the Senate floor because it fails to do anything of substance to fix America’s healthcare crisis.”
Former House speaker, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), added, “The Senate’s CR fails to meet the needs of America’s working families. I join the House Democratic Leadership and my colleagues who oppose this legislation which allows the ACA tax credits to expire – driving up premiums and costs for tens of millions of Americans already struggling to make ends meet.”
“We must continue to fight for a responsible, bipartisan path forward that reopens the government and keeps health care affordable for the American people,” she concluded.
Re. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) posted a meme on X, showing Schumer in the movie poster for “Trainwreck” and added, “Different Schumer, same title.” Amy Schumer, who starred in 2015’s “Trainwreck,” and Chuck Schumer are cousins.
Pete Buttigieg, who served as Biden’s transportation secretary posted to X on Monday, “It’s a bad deal.”
Buttigieg continued, “Everyday life – making it better and more affordable – must always be our bottom line. For months, I’ve been hearing from people bracing for their health insurance bills to skyrocket – so much that some will lose coverage altogether. Some say they simply haven’t even opened their letter yet, dreading the bad news. Any deal that fails to address this directly is a bad deal.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) also took aim at Senate Democrats, saying, “Tonight’s Senate vote on the federal government shutdown should have been a time for strength. Instead we saw capitulation and a betrayal of working Americans. The American people need more from their leaders.”
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), the top-ranking Democrat to support the compromise, defended his vote in a somber floor speech Monday. “Many of my friends are unhappy. They think we should have kept our government closed indefinitely to protest the policies of the Trump administration. I share their opposition to this administration but cannot accept a strategy which wages political battle at the expense of my neighbor’s paycheck or the food for his children,” he argued.
