Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Fast Forward

Chuck Schumer Headed For ‘Epic’ Showdown With GOP Leader

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is gearing up for an epic confrontation with counterpart Mitch McConnell, as the New York politician prepares his fellow Democrats to filibuster Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch and possibly shut down the government over a budget dispute.

“They’re in charge. Government shuts down, it’s on their back. We have leverage,” Schumer told Politico in a recent interview, pledging to block government financing if conservatives pushed for monies for a border wall and the defunding of Planned Parenthood.

He added that the GOP will have to push through a radical rule change if it hopes to win Gorsuch’s confirmation.

Some Senate veterans worry about how a potential crisis will be defused. “I don’t think they’ve had a good chance to get started on a relationship,” Tennessee Republican senator Lamar Alexander told Politico.

Schumer’s staunch opposition to President Trump and Senate Republicans has shocked those familiar with his reputation as a pragmatic dealmaker. He said he, too has been surprised at the gusto with which he has embraced his role as a roadblock to the Trump agenda.

“It was like a thunderbolt hit me, almost a message from God,” he said.

Contact Daniel J. Solomon at [email protected] or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.