Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is dealing with the most significant rebellion from Democrats in recent times. Despite this, during a conversation with The Interview following his pivotal vote in favor of a Republican federal spending bill, he downplayed queries about his potential resignation. Democratic officials were taken aback when Schumer reversed his stance on the spending bill, justifying it as the lesser of two evils. In the second part of our comprehensive interview, Schumer defended his decision, despite ongoing questions from senior party officials regarding his leadership.

Here’s what we learned from the shutdown segment of our interview with Schumer:

Schumer clarified that he voted for the bill to prevent the government from being further dismantled by DOGE and Trump. He referred to Trump and Musk as “anti-government fanatics” and “nihilists.”

Schumer mentioned that these individuals aim to close “agency after agency,” which would lead to a dire situation worse than the Republican bill. He emphasized the potential consequences:

Within two days of a shutdown, Trump and Musk could dismantle essential services for children, veterans, and those relying on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

“The damage they could do under a shutdown far exceeds harm they could inflict in any other way,” Schumer warned in our interview.

He acknowledged that there’s been a lack of communication between him and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries since the vote, indicating a disruption between the two top Democrats in Congress. However, Schumer maintains that despite these divisions, there is respect among his fellow Democrats and a unified stance against Trump.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/16/magazine/chuck-schumer-interviews-takeaways.html