Schumer says he is not stepping down after shutdown vote pushback

Video above: House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries met with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer in Brooklyn, days after Congress avoided a government shutdown in early March 2025.

(The Hill) — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he will not step down from his position amid calls for him to do so after voting to advance a GOP-crafted funding bill.

During an interview on NBC’s “Meet The Press,” Schumer confirmed that he would not be stepping down from his position as Senate minority leader, noting that he expected “a lot of controversy” for his vote to advance the House Republican-drafted funding bill, which helped avoid a government shutdown.

However, Schumer said that while the Continuing Resolution (CR) was “certainly bad,” he argued a shutdown “would be 15 or 20 times worse.”

“Under a shutdown, the Executive Branch has sole power to determine what is, quote, ‘essential,'” he said. “And they can determine without any court supervision. The courts have ruled it’s solely up to the executive what to shut down.”

Schumer said leaders like President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and OMB Director Russell Vought would “eviscerate the federal government.”

“Here’s what makes it worse. There’s no off-ramp,” he added. “Who determines how long the shutdown would last? Only those evil people at the top of the Executive Branch in the Trump administration.”

Schumer has come under intense fire following his vote to advance the bill, with some critics calling for him to step down from his position, citing a lack of a clear strategy.