U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Sunday rejected calls from some Democratic lawmakers for him to step down as Senate leader over his handling of the recently passed government funding bill.
Mr. Schumer sparked anger among Democrats last week when he decided not to block a Republican spending bill that many in the party say gives President Donald Trump, a Republican, too much power.
“Look, I'm not going to quit,” Mr. Schumer said on NBC's “Meet the Press.”
Mr Schumer said the spending bill was “absolutely bad” and that he foresaw that supporting it would be controversial, but that the alternative would have been to let the government shut down, which would have been “15 or 20 times worse.”
Mr. Schumer also pointed out that during a government shutdown, the executive branch has sole authority to determine which government functions and workers are the highest priorities.
Mr Schumer said Mr Trump, his spending-cutting adviser Elon Musk and Budget Secretary Russ Vought could then “destroy the federal government”.
Mr. Schumer's decision to back Republicans has sparked outrage among Democrats in Congress and progressive groups, underscoring the challenges facing a party out of power in Washington.
Several House Democrats, including Glenn Ivey and Delia Ramirez, have called for him to resign, according to Politico.
On Thursday, NPR reported that while Democratic Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado stopped short of calling for Mr. Schumer to resign, he noted at a town hall that “it’s important for people to understand when to leave.”
Mr Schumer dismissed criticism on “Meet the Press” from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that he had simply handed over the levers of power to Democratic colleagues, arguing that they had avoided the “horror” of a government shutdown.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
