Schumer Responds to Calls for Him to Step Down as Democratic Senate Leader

‘Sometimes when you’re a leader, you have to do things to avoid a real danger that might come down the curve,’ the longtime Democratic leader said.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) gives a television interview at the U.S. Capitol on March 14, 2025. AP Photo/Ben Curtis

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on March 23 that he will not step down as the Senate’s Democratic leader amid internal party criticism over his decision to support a Republican-backed funding bill to avoid a government shutdown earlier this month.

“Look, I’m not stepping down,” Schumer said in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” adding that he knew that voting for the funding measure would trigger “a lot of controversy” among members of his own party.