WASHINGTON ― Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s decision not to block a Republican spending bill earlier this month unleashed a tidal wave of anger within the Democratic Party, prompting calls for him to step aside and shaking his hold on his caucus like never before.
But the New York senator is not out of the woods just yet. Under-fire congressional leaders historically struggle to shake off intra-party criticisms, and how he handles a battle against a massive GOP plan to extend tax cuts for the wealthy and the need to recruit candidates for the 2026 midterms will be closely watched, especially by angry constituents who feel Democrats aren’t taking the moment seriously.
“I think this has been a wake-up call for all of us,” Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) said Tuesday. “The base is rightly terrified about the lawlessness of the Trump administration, and I’m seeing the caucus is really internalizing that.”
“We are united in understanding where we need to go. We’re still talking about some differences about how we get there,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) added.
Only a few Senate Democrats have been willing to publicly criticize Schumer’s handling of the GOP funding bill, which averted a government shutdown but did nothing to stop Trump and Musk from gutting federal agencies. (Schumer, for his part, has argued that a shutdown would have allowed Trump to close federal agencies more quickly, and for a longer period of time.)
Warren, a member of Schumer’s leadership team, bluntly told constituents at a town hall last week that Schumer’s approach was “wrong,” while Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) dodged a question at another town hall about whether the New York senator should step aside, saying only that “it’s important for people to know when it’s time to go.”
No member of the Senate Democratic caucus has directly called on Schumer to step aside, as progressive groups and even a few Democratic House members suggested.
“No one is really wanting to go there yet, but I think it has done real damage to him which will linger,” a Senate Democratic aide who requested anonymity to speak freely told HuffPost.
Democrats are instead turning their attention to a $4 trillion tax cut package Republicans are planning to move in the coming weeks that would also cut at least $1.5 trillion in spending, including to government programs like Medicaid. The party has been far more united on issues like protecting health care coverage, organizing town halls all over the country to rally opposition and pressure Republican lawmakers to reverse course.
Schumer and his caucus ultimately can’t stop the bill from passing if Republicans muster a simple majority of votes in the Senate to pass it under the so-called budget reconciliation process, which allows the majority to avoid a filibuster. They can exploit GOP divisions on the bill and make life harder for them, however, by drawing attention to the plan and making it politically painful.
“We should not make anything easy,” Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) told HuffPost, calling the Democrats’ position “popular and righteous.”
Democrats’ strategy will depend on what Republicans ultimately decide to include in the bill. There are a number of GOP senators who have concerns about drastically cutting Medicaid, which over 70 million Americans rely on. Other Republicans, meanwhile, want to see larger spending cuts to reduce the deficit, particularly if the bill hikes the debt limit.
“The next big thing will be the debt ceiling, and you’re going to have to not only have a plan, but start to socialize it sooner rather than later,” Welch said.
The beginnings of Schumer’s strategy could be seen in an ad released last week by Majority Forward, a political nonprofit controlled by his allies, targeting Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Joni Ernst of Iowa and Dan Sullivan of Alaska. All four are up for reelection in 2026.
The ad slams the senators for being under the thumb of Trump and billionaire Elon Musk. “If you’re terrified of these guys, you can’t do what’s right for Maine,” a female narrator says in the 30-second ad. “Tell Susan Collins to stop selling out our health care. Maine’s senator should have a spine.”
Schumer, of course, will also be under pressure to pick winning candidates against those senators in next year’s midterm elections, which would provide Democrats real power to block Trump’s policies.
In defending his skills as Democratic leader last week, Schumer said he is the “best” person for the job because of his ability to recruit candidates to run for Senate and to win elections. He pointed to the surprise 2020 Democratic takeover of the Senate, including two huge runoff wins in Georgia, what was until then a Republican stronghold. But Schumer had some misses that year as well, such as failing to oust Collins and recruiting what ended up being a flawed candidate in North Carolina.
Democrats don’t have many Senate pickup opportunities in 2026. Two of the biggest ones include again challenging Collins in Maine and Tillis in North Carolina. With Republicans currently controlling 53 seats, Democrats will need to expand the map to win back their majority.
The good news for the party is they’re likely to face a better political environment next year. Already, Trump’s handling of the economy has shaken voter perceptions of his administration, with his approval numbers dipping, particularly with independent voters. The turbulent stock market, uncertainty caused by Trump’s tariffs, and his administration’s halting of popular government services could only add to the president’s worsening public approval rating.
“If we keep at it every day, relentless, fighting, and showing how they’re hurting people so badly, Trump’s numbers will get much lower, and his popularity and effectiveness will decline,” Schumer argued during an interview on “CBS Mornings” last week.
But some of those candidates may not be enthusiastic about Schumer. Mallory McMorrow, a state senator who is likely to be among the Democratic front-runners for Michigan’s Senate seat, told Politico she would not support Schumer for leader if she wins. Democratic campaign aides, speaking on condition of anonymity, said any Democrat running for Senate is preparing for a question about their Schumer support.
Schumer’s approval numbers took a dip following his decision to surrender on the GOP spending bill. According to an Economist/YouGov poll, favorable views of Schumer among Democrats have fallen from 57% last month to 39%, while unfavorable views of Schumer have risen from 18% to 41%.
That’s likely not enough of a hit to seriously threaten Schumer’s job, despite the talk from someof him potentially facing a primary against progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.). Schumer has made clear he’s not going anywhere, and, at least for the moment, Democrats are more interested in keeping the fire on Trump and other Republicans over their plans to cut government services.
“I think that Chuck understands how angry people are,” Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.). “I think the question that we all need to be focused on is, ‘OK, where do we go from here? How do we take it to the people that are actually trying to shut down the government, trying to take away your health care to pay for their tax cuts?’”
