Falling short on key shutdown demands brings heat on Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer

WASHINGTON — He stood up to President Donald Trump and kept his Democratic caucus united for over 40 days, helped persuade a plurality of Americans that the GOP was responsible for things they didn't like and put Republicans in a difficult position on health care.

Yet, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, 74, finds himself in another squeeze politically because of the deal a group of his fellow Democrats brokered with Senate Republicans to reopen government.

Fair or not, the inability of Democrats to ultimately win their central demand — a renewal of Affordable Care Act premium tax credits — has the knives out for Schumer again from his own party, inside Congress and outside.

"His caucus pushed him into the shutdown and he is now cast as the scapegoat for ending it, even though publicly he was on the opposite side," said Joshua Huder, a congressional expert at Georgetown University’s Government Affairs Institute.

"Again, he's been put in an impossible situation," Huder said.

Schumer (D-N.Y.) has survived such firestorms before. In March, he was criticized by many in the left of his party for voting with Republicans on a previous stopgap spending bill that was necessary to keep government funded and open through September.

This time, he embraced a more assertive approach by waging an extended shutdown faceoff to get the health care subsidies renewed. 

But sharp criticism has resulted again, including calls from within his party's ranks for him to step down as a leader.

Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), who is challenging Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) for his Senate seat in 2026, said in an online post that if Schumer "were an effective leader, he would have united his caucus to vote 'No'" to the deal and to "hold the line on health care."

Others, including Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), a leading progressive, reiterated calls for Schumer to be replaced as Senate leader, asserting. "If you can’t lead the fight to stop health care premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?"

And the progressive group MoveOn said in a statement Monday that 80% of its members want Schumer to step aside as the Democratic leader.

In response to such criticism, Schumer spokesman Angelo Roefaro said Wednesday, "None of these people are senators or know the details of what happened in the Senate this week." But what was open to public viewing, the spokesman said, was that "Schumer has led the fight on the health care crisis."

Health care costs

Schumer said the shutdown fight had made "the contrasts between the two parties clear" and that Democrats emerge as the party fighting more for improving health care and lowering health care costs.

Some fellow Democratic senators, including Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts, and Chris Murphy, of Connecticut, publicly complain about the deal, if not Schumer directly. Others also raise concerns about the state of current Democratic leadership, in careful ways.

 "Leadership is about changing and adapting when there is real need, and unless we hear that, we will fail to meet the moment," Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) said in a statement.

And while Schumer voted against the measure and publicly opposed it — there are insinuations  he at least gave a wink or a nod to centrist members to strike the deal.

Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), one of the Democrats who reached the deal with Republicans, does not go that far. But when asked on the air by Fox News if this deal was negotiated without Schumer's knowledge, she answered, "No, we kept leadership informed throughout." 

No matter Schumer’s level of involvement, some of his critics say this deal occurred on his watch as leader, and he should step down.

"Don’t endorse or say who you voted for in NYC despite there being a Dem candidate. Get Dem Senators to negotiate a terrible ‘deal’ that does nothing real about health care. Screw over a national political party. Profile of scourge? Next," jabbed Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) on X.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn), who had been critical of Schumer in March, on Tuesday offered support. Jeffries answered, "Yes and yes," when asked about whether he viewed Schumer as an effective leader and whether he should keep his job.

Ross Baker, a political-science professor at Rutgers University, said a Senate leader can't block members of his caucus from negotiating with the other party. 

"The venerable tradition of Senate ‘gangs’ usually involves rank-and-file senators setting up a deal with the other side without any necessary authorization by their party leader," he said.

Time running short

Even if the blame is unfair, other analysts suggest the clock is ticking on Schumer, at least as the party’s Senate leader. He’s approaching his 10th year at the helm, is vulnerable to a generational appeal that sees his party as too geriatric and the building criticism of him is a hallmark of a leadership run that is coming to a close.

"Schumer is not on the ballot again until 2028, and that’s an eternity in politics," said Donald Nieman, a history professor at Binghamton University. He said that leaves as "premature" speculation about Schumer potentially facing a primary challenge from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Bronx/Queens) or anyone else, if he runs again.

The big test for Schumer will be the 2026 midterm Senate elections — and a vote afterward by a new Senate caucus on its party leaders.

"If Dems are successful, he'll be OK," Nieman predicts if Democrats at least pick up seats or even take the majority. "If not, his colleagues will move on."