Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is under heavy fire from inside his own party, with voters and even sitting members of Congress calling for him to resign after reports surfaced that eight moderate Senate Democrats are ready to end the government shutdown — without winning the party’s top demand on health care subsidies.
The 41-day shutdown, which began October 1, has been driven by a deadlock over the fate of Obamacare subsidies set to expire at the end of the year. If they lapse, roughly 4 million Americans could lose health insurance, and premiums for millions more would skyrocket. Democrats had insisted that any spending deal include an extension of those subsidies. Now, Schumer appears to be backing off.
Instead of securing the extension, the moderate faction reportedly agreed to reopen the government based only on a promise from Republicans that a vote on extending subsidies would take place in December. That move has enraged progressives who say Schumer’s leadership has repeatedly failed to deliver when it matters most.
“Chuck Schumer is unable to lead the Democratic Party,” wrote Nina Turner, former Ohio senator and co-chair of Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, on X Sunday night. “Step down from leadership Schumer.”
The fury didn’t stop there. Aaron Regunberg, a former Rhode Island lawmaker and attorney, blasted Schumer as “relentlessly, incessantly, unstoppably wrong at every turn.” Regunberg didn’t mince words: “Has there ever been a man who’s failed to meet the moment more than Chuck Schumer? … Schumer is going to go down in history as the worst Dem legislative leader in modern times, and it’s not even particularly close.”
Even some sitting Democrats are openly turning on their leader. Rep. Ro Khanna joined the chorus Sunday night, posting on X: “Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced. If you can’t lead the fight to stop healthcare premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?”
The revolt within the party marks one of the sharpest intraparty rebukes Schumer has faced since taking the reins of Senate leadership. For many progressives, this latest standoff has become a breaking point — a symbol of years of frustration with what they see as timid, reactive leadership unwilling to take real political risks.
As of Monday morning, the Senate had yet to vote on the spending bill itself, though lawmakers did advance the measure 60–40 late Sunday, signaling that passage could be imminent. The House has reportedly been told to expect a vote “this week,” according to The New York Times.
If that happens, Schumer could soon find himself presiding over the end of a brutal six-week shutdown — but at a steep political cost. For his critics, reopening the government without securing healthcare protections for millions isn’t a victory. It’s a capitulation. And for many Democrats watching this unfold, it may be one too many.
