WASHINGTON – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is postponing several scheduled events this week to promote his new book, “ Antisemitism in America: A Warning,” after some liberal groups had planned to stage protests.
The cancellations of events in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and other cities came amid widespread criticism from the party’s liberal base over Schumer’s vote to move forward with Republican spending legislation last week. Risa Heller, a representative for Schumer’s book, said the tour would be rescheduled “due to security concerns.”
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Schumer said the spending bill was “terrible” but that a shutdown would have been far worse, and difficult to end, as President Donald Trump has already slashed jobs and funding for agencies across the government. A shutdown would have given Trump even more power to make cuts, Schumer said, “and so many programs would be lost.”
House Democrats strongly disagreed with Schumer’s decision and criticized him directly: “We will not be complicit,” Democratic leaders said in a joint statement.
The public rift among Democrats, and the onslaught of criticism toward Schumer, came after years of relative unity during Trump’s first term and during President Joe Biden's time in the White House. It's a reflection of how Democrats have become increasingly frustrated with their inability to stop Trump’s Cabinet confirmations and mass firings of federal workers.
At a news conference on Friday, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries repeatedly refused to say whether he has confidence in Schumer — a rare break for the two longtime New York colleagues.
“We do not want to shut down the government. But we are not afraid of a government funding showdown,” Jeffries said.
Schumer and Jeffries met in Brooklyn on Sunday, according to two people familiar with the meeting. But the discontent with Schumer went far beyond House leadership, and some of the nation’s most influential progressive groups warned of serious political consequences.
Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible, wrote on social media last week that Democratic activists planned to express their anger at town halls or other public events. MoveOn, another progressive group that claims nearly 10 million members nationwide, predicted that its activists would also demand answers from Democratic officials.
“Clearing the way for Donald Trump and Elon Musk to gut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid is unacceptable. It’s past time for Democrats to fight and stop acting like it’s business as usual,” said Joel Payne, a spokesperson for MoveOn.
In Baltimore on Monday evening, some protesters still gathered outside the Enoch Pratt Free Library where Schumer was scheduled to speak. While the group was more focused on Schumer's strong support for Israel, some speakers criticized his decision to vote to move forward with the spending bill. Homemade signs read “Schumer is a coward” and “Chuck sold us out.”
One organizer celebrated that they had “pushed Chuck Schumer out of Baltimore,” to cheers.
“If Sen. Schumer wants to come back, we’ll be even more prepared,” said Nikki Morse, a spokesperson with the Baltimore chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace.
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Associated Press writer Lea Skene in Baltimore contributed to this report.