The left-wing activist group Our Revolution called on Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer to step down from his post after losing the shutdown standoff.
Mr. Schumer, New York Democrat, is voting against the deal but enough of his caucus caved in and agreed to reopen the government without winning the party’s chief demand: extending extra Obamacare subsidies set to expire this year.
“Chuck Schumer should step down as Senate Minority Leader immediately. If he secretly backed this surrender and voted ’no’ to save face, he’s a liar,” said Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of Our Revolution, the eight million-member organization that is an offshoot of democratic socialist Sen. Bernard Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign.
“If he couldn’t keep his caucus in line, he’s inept. Either way, he’s proven incapable of leading the fight to prevent health care premiums from skyrocketing for millions of Americans. The country can’t afford his failed leadership any longer.”
Democrats wanted to add an extension of the COVID-era enhanced Obamacare premium subsidies to the government funding bill. Republicans would only agree to hold a vote on the issue after the government is reopened.
Eight Senate Democrats agreed to the GOP offer to hold a vote on the health care subsidies in the second week of December. There’s no guarantee it will pass.
Mr. Schumer said in his statement opposing the bipartisan deal that Democrats will continue to fight to ensure millions of families don’t lose their health care coverage.
“Make no mistake about it, the American people know who is inflicting this health care trauma on them: Donald Trump and the Republicans,” he said. “Americans will remember Republican intransigence every time they make a sky-high payment on health insurance.”
Our Revolution has been targeting Mr. Schumer and other establishment Democrats. Most recently, the organization criticized the New York leader for not supporting New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a socialist Democrat.
“Chuck Schumer and the Democratic establishment are losing relevance. AIPAC and the pro-Israel lobby have become toxic forces in Democratic politics,” Mr. Geevarghese said.
“Voters are fed up with the gerontocracy and political corruption, and a united grassroots movement built on a working-class agenda can — and will — beat the billionaire-backed status quo.”
• Lindsey McPherson contributed to this story.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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