Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is postponing his cross-country book tour following growing resentment among the party’s left-wing base at Senate Democratic leadership for voting to advance a Trump-backed government funding bill Friday.
Schumer was scheduled to visit at least five cities beginning Monday in Baltimore, Maryland, as part of a tour for his new book on rising antisemitism in the United States. The book launch events were expected to be met with protests from left-wing grassroots organizations that are furious at Schumer and nine other Senate Democrats for voting to advance the GOP spending bill rather than suffer the blame for causing a partial government shutdown.
“Due to security concerns, Senator Schumer’s book events are being rescheduled,” the senator’s office wrote in a statement Monday.
Schumer has defended his decision to vote for the GOP spending bill in several interviews since caving to Republican pressure to avert a government shutdown. House Democratic leadership, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and California Gov. Gavin Newsom criticized Schumer’s decision to retreat from a confrontation with Republicans over government funding.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries did not answer a reporter’s question about whether it is “time for new leadership in the Senate” during his weekly press conference Friday.
Some Democratic lawmakers have privately lobbied New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to primary Schumer.
“I knew I’d get flak, and I have,” Schumer told The Wall Street Journal in an interview Friday after voting to advance the Trump-backed funding measure.
Schumer’s decision to postpone the book tour comes as Americans sour on congressional Democrats’ job performance.
Just 39% of voters gave congressional Democrats a favorable approval rating according to a March survey from Navigator Research, a left-of-center polling group. Of those surveyed, 54% believe Democratic lawmakers focus more on helping other people rather than “people like me.”
Schumer also previously mocked House Republican leadership for reportedly urging members to stop holding in-person town halls after Democratic activists organized protestors to disrupt the events.
“Republican leaders are telling their members to cancel town hall meetings,” Schumer said on the Senate floor on March 3. “They’re running away from the people because they know how badly they’ve been hurt by what they’re doing.”
Schumer’s book, “Antisemitism in America: A Warning” is slated to be released Tuesday.
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