Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., defended his leadership while on “The View” on Tuesday as the co-hosts pressed him on his decision to vote for a GOP spending bill to avert a government shutdown, with one accusing him to his face of caving.
Schumer said that as leader he felt it was his “obligation” to avoid the impending “disaster” and said that if he allowed the government to shut down he would be playing into President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s hands.
The Democratic leader faced backlash from his own party and liberal media pundits after announcing his decision to support the Republican spending bill last week.
Co-host Sunny Hostin said some Democrats believe the party infighting boils down to those who “want to fight” the Trump administration and those who “want to cave.”
MSNBC HOSTS, ANALYSTS UNLEASH ON SCHUMER FOR SUPPORTING BILL TO AVOID SHUT DOWN
“It gives me no pleasure to say this to you, because we are friends, but I think you caved,” Hostin told Schumer. “I think you and nine other Democrats caved.”
“I don’t think you showed the fight that this party needs right now. Because you’re playing by a rulebook, where the other party has thrown that rulebook away,” she added.
Hostin accused Schumer of paving the way for Trump and Musk to “gut” Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
“Why did you lead Democratic senators to play by that book that the Republicans are not playing by?” she continued.
SENATE REPUBLICANS COIN ‘SCHUMER SHUTDOWN’ AHEAD OF CRITICAL VOTE ON TRUMP SPENDING BILL
Schumer argued no one wanted to fight harder against the Trump administration than he did, but said they also had to fight “smart.”
He panned the bill but said it did “far less damage” to important government programs than if they were eliminated by Musk.
“There are many fewer cuts in that bill than there would be in a shutdown,” he told Hostin.
He argued that he had to choose between a “bad” and a “devastating” decision, so he chose the former.
“We’re going to fight this every day,” he said. “But I want to win and fight smart… We’re going to stick it to them and fight smart and win.”
The Senate cleared the spending bill on Friday, averting a government shutdown.
In total, 10 Democrats voted with Republicans to pass the CR and avert a government shutdown, including Schumer, Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Sens. Angus King, I-Maine, Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., John Fetterman, D-Pa., Gary Peters, D-Mich., Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.
Fox News’ Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.
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