WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — Maryland Democratic Rep. Glenn Ivey suggested that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., step down from leadership during a raucous town hall Tuesday following Schumer’s vote in support of a GOP government funding measure last week.
“I respect Chuck Schumer. I think he had a great, long-standing career,” Ivey told constituents at a forum in his district. “But I’m afraid it may be time for Senate Democrats to choose a new leader.”
Ivey is the latest Democrat to hit Schumer over voting for a House GOP-drafted funding measure last week that would keep the government open through September. He is, however, the first Democratic lawmaker to publicly call for new Senate leadership in the party.
Last week, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., shaded Schumer over the vote in a statement, calling on Democrats “to fight back for a better way.”
Schumer is postponing several scheduled events this week to promote his new book after some liberal groups had planned to stage protests.
Risa Heller, a representative for Schumer’s book, said the tour would be rescheduled “due to security concerns.” Appearances in Baltimore, D.C. and other cities have already been postponed.
Despite avoiding public appearances, Schumer remains a prominent fixture on television, making several cable news appearances and a sit-down with “The View.”
Schumer defended his vote and his spot atop the Senate Democratic caucus, maintaining Tuesday that he has no plans of stepping aside anytime soon.
Schumer was defiant when pressed about the vote and his standing, saying that he knew he’d take flak but still thought he made the right decision.
“We would have had half the federal government we have right now,” Schumer told “CBS Mornings,” pointing to what he believed would be a hollowing out during a shutdown. “I thought I did the thing a leader should do. Even when people don’t see the danger around the curve, my job was to alert people to it, and I knew I’d get some bullets.”
“I’m the best leader for the Senate,” Schumer continued. “I am the best at winning Senate seats. I’ve done it in 2005. Just in 2020, no one thought we’d take back the Senate. Under my leadership, we took it.”
The Democrats lost control of the Senate in 2024.
When pressed by host Gayle King if he had plans of stepping aside, Schumer shot them down.
“No, no,” he said. “We’re moving forward. Hakeem and I have a plan,” he added, referring to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York.
NewsNation affiliate The Hill and The Associated Press contributed to this report.