Democratic Maryland Rep. Glenn Ivey called for Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to step down from leadership on Tuesday.
Ivey’s comments come as Schumer faces widespread anger from the Democratic Party’s base and congressional Democrats over his decision to vote to advance the GOP spending bill to avoid a government shutdown on Friday. Many congressional Democrats are urging Schumer to escalate resistance tactics against the Republican-controlled Senate with Ivey becoming the first Democratic lawmaker to publicly call for his ouster from Senate leadership.
“I respect Chuck Schumer. I think he had a great, long-standing career,” Ivey told his constituents during a town hall meeting in his deep-blue Maryland district in close proximity to Washington, D.C. “But I’m afraid that it may be time for the Senate Democrats to get a new leader.”
“I know shutting down the government is not good, I’ve tried to oppose it every time I could, but in this particular instance, it was something that we needed to do,” he added.
The crowd reportedly burst into applause following Ivey’s call for Schumer to step down as Senate Democratic leader.
Congressional Democrats’ anger at Schumer is continuing throughout the recess week as lawmakers face left-wing voters in their districts urging more confrontation against Republican lawmakers and President Donald Trump. The corporate media has also begun to turn on Schumer with CBS News’ Gayle King telling the New York Democrat on Tuesday that voters lack “faith” in the Democratic Party.
The party’s approval rating dropped to 29%, a new record low among Americans, in a CNN poll conducted by SSRS that was released on Sunday.
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi took a shot at Schumer Monday during a town hall in San Francisco, telling reporters that the New York Democrat forfeited Democrats’ leverage in the government funding fight. “His [Schumer’s] popularity is somewhere between Elon Musk and the Ebola virus,” a senior House Democrat told Axios.
Rumored 2028 Democratic presidential hopefuls, including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have all criticized Schumer for voting to stave off a government shutdown.
Schumer has defended his decision to back the Trump-backed spending bill, saying that letting government funding lapse would have been worse. He has said he has no plans to step down from Senate leadership, dubbing himself the “best leader” for Senate Democrats.
The Democratic leader postponed his cross-country book tour slated to begin Monday after left-wing grassroots groups were planning to protest the events.
Schumer’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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