Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., leaves the Democratic caucus lunch at the U.S. Capitol on March 13, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
Schumer alleged, without evidence, that Trump, Department of Government Efficiency chair Elon Musk and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought would slash funding for SNAP, or food stamps and mass transit, as well as cut Medicaid "by 20, 30, 50, 80%" He suggested the administration could decide during a government shutdown, "We’ll go after Social Security. We’ll go after the veterans."
"They would eviscerate the federal government," Schumer said. "Their goal is just eviscerate the federal government so they can get more taxes in their tax cuts to their billionaire class over there. So it would be devastating."
"There’s no off ramp," he added. "Who determines how long the shutdown would last? Only those evil people at the top of the executive branch in the Trump administration."
Schumer told NBC that a Republican senator close to the DOGE team told a Democratic colleague of his that the administration would keep the shutdown in place for "six months, nine months, a year til everyone was furloughed and gone and quit."
"And there would be no way to stop it," Schumer said. "So I thought that would be so devastating to the republic and anger so many people."
Schumer, who played a critical role in urging Joe Biden to exit the 2024 race, denied that he was acting similarly in resisting calls from his party to resign as leader. Democrats have increasingly criticized Schumer for breaking with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., in supporting the continuing resolution, and Schumer has dismissed reports of a potential primary challenge by progressive "Squad" member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., for his Senate seat.
Forrmer House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., suggested Democrats gained nothing from condeding on the continuing resolution. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif, the former House Speaker, has claimed Democrats did not gain anything in Schumer conceding to Republicans' over the CR.
"What we got, at the end of the day," Schumer responded, "is avoiding the horror of a shutdown."
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He added that Democrats had "no leverage point," because Republicans in control of both houses could force a vote on the CR. "When you're on that political mountain, the higher up you climb, the more fiercely the winds blow," Schumer said. "The only way you stop being blown off the mountain is your internal gyroscope… I had to do the right thing for our country and for our party."
Danielle Wallace is a breaking news and politics reporter at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to danielle.wallace@fox.com and on X: @danimwallace.
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