Schumer defends decision to support Republican-led funding bill
NEW YORK (WABC) -- After receiving backlash for supporting the Republican-led funding bill to keep the government open, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer appeared on "The View" on Tuesday in an attempt to clear the air.
"If we ended up in a shutdown, three weeks from now people would come to me and say, 'They just cut off my Medicaid,' 'They just got rid of my veteran's benefits,' 'Stop it,' I can't we're in a shutdown. Then they'd say to me, 'Why did you let the shutdown happen?'" Sen. Schumer said.
Schumer remaining firmly rooted in his decision to support the Republican spending bill.
"In the old days, we'd work it out, but this is a different, new horrible kettle of fish," Schumer said. "They hate the government; they want to shut down everything. One of the Republican senators told one of the Democratic senators, you get us into this, we're staying in this six months, eight months, a year until we decimate the entire federal government."
Schumer said that if the government had shut down, President Donald Trump, Elon Musk and DOGE could "cut anything they want by simply by saying it's not essential."
President Donald Trump posted praise for Sen. Schumer on social media saying, "It took guts and courage" and that it was a "smart move by Senator Schumer."
Sen. Schumer called the post an attempt at trolling to try to confuse people.
The negative reaction he received over the vote also forced him to postpone his book tour.
Meantime, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries from New York says he continues to support Schumer's leadership.
"Yes, I do," Jeffries said.
He made the comments while kicking off a Medicaid Day of Action event in Brooklyn.
Jeffries said he had a conversation with Schumer over the weekend, and they have discussed a path forward.
He also expressed his outrage over the Trump administration's plan to make the largest cut in American history to Medicaid funding.
Jeffries say this will be devastating to women, children, families, the elderly and people with disabilities across America.
"It's unconscionable, it's un-American, and together, we're going to do everything we have to do to stop these cuts from ever taking effect" he said.
Jeffries said Republicans are proposing the cuts to give huge tax breaks to billionaire donors like Elon Musk and wealthy corporations.
Republicans said the goal is to eliminate wasteful government spending.
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