Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was grilled by the hosts of ABC News’ “The View” on Tuesday, defending his decision to stiff arm left-wing lawmakers and join with Republicans to pass a government funding bill last Friday.
“Why? What were you thinking?” co-host Whoopi Goldberg kicked off the TV panel discussion, which spent more time talking about the New York Democrat’s funding vote than his since-postponed tour for his book on the rise of antisemitism.
“I knew it was a difficult choice,” Schumer answered, “but I felt I had to do it.”
Cutting off government spending would bring “devastation like we’ve never seen,” the Senate minority leader claimed, ripping President Trump and his admin officials for eagerly awaiting such a shutdown to further their agenda.
Trump, tech billionaire Elon Musk and Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought could “cut off anything they want” in a government shutdown by just claiming benefit programs like Medicaid and Social Security aren’t “essential,” he added.
A Republican senator had confirmed to a Democratic colleague during negotiations that preceded the federal spending patch, or Continuing Resolution (CR), that the admin’s plans for a shutdown were to “decimate” the federal government, according to Schumer.
“This is a different, horrible kettle of fish. They hate the government,” Schumer said of Trump’s admin.
Asked why Trump then had endorsed Schumer’s move to fund the government, the Senate Democratic leader blurted out: “He was trolling me!”
Despite caving to the GOP on the bill, he still vowed “to fight Republicans … every step of the way” — a move that has split the Democratic Party and sparked rumors of a coming primary challenge from “Squad” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
“We’re going to fight, we’re going to fight them on tariffs, we’re going to fight them on Social Security,” he said. “We’re going to stick it to them and fight hard.”
Schumer, 74, showed up just one day after postponing his book tour for “Antisemitism in America: A Warning,” with his first appearance in Baltimore scrapped due to “security” concerns amid a planned protest by lefty groups.
Goldberg and other “View” panelists before Schumer appeared had been touting AOC and Rep. Jasmine Crocket (D-Texas) for standing up to the Trump agenda.
In particular, they cited the liberal reps’ opposition to federal budget trimming by the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
They also had discussed earlier in the show whether the congressional Republican agenda was coming for Americans’ Medicaid benefits.
“You’re looking at Al Green with his cane saying, ‘My constituents need Medicare!’” host Sunny Hostin cheered.
Host Sara Haines countered that the Democratic Party’s messaging efforts were failing, however, because they “stand for every damn thing.”
Earlier, Schumer had also praised two younger Dems — Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) — for their messaging efforts against Trump.
There were no left-wing demonstrations opposing the Democratic leader as he arrived at the studio for his appearance on “The View” to denounce his vote in favor of a Republican-backed funding bill.
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