America is in the middle of a government shutdown, fueled largely by intransigence from two New York Democrats: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
For Schumer, the shift is especially striking. Just months ago, he warned that even the threat of a shutdown would be catastrophic — a position Senate Republicans now say proves his current stance is pure obstruction.
During and after the Senate’s vote to fund the government earlier this year, Schumer took heat from his left-wing base, both in and outside Congress. He repeatedly defended his decision, arguing that a shutdown would devastate the country.
“I had to do the right thing — for the country and our party,” Schumer said on NBC’s Meet the Press on March 23.
