Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the minority chief, on Monday postponed a multicity tour to advertise his forthcoming e book, citing safety issues amid backlash to his choice to vote with Republicans for a stopgap spending invoice to stave off a authorities shutdown.
Mr. Schumer was scheduled to take part in promotional occasions in Atlanta, Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York, in addition to a couple of stops in California, for his new e book, “Antisemitism in America: A Warning.” Many Democratic activists, determined for his or her leaders to face as much as President Trump, have been staging protests outdoors of Mr. Schumer’s Brooklyn residence and calling for his resignation. On-line, they’ve been organizing protests for each cease on his e book tour.
A spokeswoman for Mr. Schumer mentioned that the tour was being rescheduled due to “safety issues.” However the transfer was immediately criticized by each the right and the left, who accused Mr. Schumer of being unwilling to face a restive public.
“We hope different Democratic senators proceed assembly with their constituents and demand that their management battle with spine,” Adam Inexperienced, the co-founder of the Progressive Change Marketing campaign Committee, mentioned in an announcement.
Since voting on Friday for the stopgap invoice, Mr. Schumer has been defending his choice to stave off a authorities shutdown, which he has mentioned was the much less devastating of two unhealthy choices that Senate Democrats have been introduced with. “I’ll take among the bullets,” Mr. Schumer mentioned of the vitriol directed at him.
“There is no such thing as a off-ramp,” for a authorities shutdown, Mr. Schumer mentioned in an interview Friday from his workplace simply off the Senate flooring. “The off-ramp is within the arms of Donald Trump and Elon Musk and DOGE. We may very well be in a shutdown for six months or 9 months,” he mentioned, referring to Mr. Musk’s cost-cutting workforce, the Division of Authorities Effectivity.
Mr. Schumer mentioned {that a} shutdown would have allowed Mr. Trump to resolve which packages have been important, and which weren’t. “The day after the shutdown, they’ll say all of SNAP isn’t important, we’re not funding it,” Mr. Schumer mentioned, referring to the Supplemental Diet Help Program. “In a shutdown, it’s solely the manager department that determines what is crucial and what’s nonessential. There is no such thing as a court docket examine.”
Nonetheless, the backlash has been unrelenting.
Over the weekend, Mr. Schumer met with Consultant Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York and the minority chief, in Brooklyn. The assembly was first reported by Punchbowl Information. Mr. Jeffries and Home Democrats, who caught collectively to oppose the federal government funding invoice within the Home, have criticized Mr. Schumer’s choice. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi referred to as Mr. Schumer’s choice “unacceptable.” And though Mr. Jeffries has not criticized Mr. Schumer, he has stopped in need of endorsing his management for the reason that vote.
On Friday, requested at a information convention whether or not it was time for brand new management within the Senate, Mr. Jeffries responded curtly.
“Subsequent query,” he mentioned.
