Hamza Adam 
Sen. Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) leadership in the Senate was a lot easier when President Joe Biden was in the White House. Now that President Donald Trump has returned, operating under “business as usual” is prompting questions from fellow lawmakers about whether he’s the right person to meet the moment.
NOTUS reported Thursday that Schumer has been climbing out of a hole after flipping on whether to support heavy cuts in a Republican bill if a government shutdown was averted.
Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL) told NOTUS, “I don’t think this call for Senate leadership to change is going to go away because it would actually require the Senate leader to demonstrate a lot more than what he’s demonstrated.”
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During a town hall in March, constituents back home asked whether she thought Schumer should retire or step down. She answered “yes.”
Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-MD) was similarly asked whether there should be a new Senate leadership, and she indicated more of a willingness to adopt a wait-and-see approach.
“I think it depends on what we’re going to do when the CR comes back up. We also have the big budget vote coming, and the impact of what Cory did is still kind of resonating. So, we’ll see how things play out,” she told NOTUS.
In March, she said, “It may be time for the Senate Democrats to get a new leader.”
Sen. Cory Booker’s (D-N.J.) record-setting speech attacking Trump’s first few months in the White House impressed colleagues on Capitol Hill, and some think he inspired voters in Wisconsin and Florida ahead of special elections.
“We are going to keep putting the pressure on Chuck Schumer,” said Stevie O’Hanlon, political director at Sunrise Movement. He and other activists staged a sit-in at Schumer’s office in March with an ultimatum: “Step up or step aside.”
“I think at this point he knows that his actions as we head into the reconciliation fight, for instance, and other CR fights later in the year, are being closely watched. We’re going to hold him accountable,” O’Hanlon added.
Meanwhile, the report says that Schumer could become the litmus test for Democrats in 2026. Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI). Her position is that Schumer should step back as well.
“There wasn’t an obvious choice for Schumer,” a former Biden White House official told NOTUS. “It is a legitimate concern to worry about what somebody like Trump and Musk would do during a shutdown. I think some people were coming up with some intra-party fight to cause anger when the focus should be on the damage Republicans are doing.”