Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) dodged a question on whether Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) should give up his power over the caucus after several members jumped ship to take the Republicans’ deal to reopen the government.
When asked if Schumer should step aside as the Senate Democrat leader on Wednesday, the socialist congresswoman offered a wordy response that did not directly answer the question:
As the Washington Examiner‘s Rachel Schilke reported, Ocasio-Cortez said, “I think what’s important is that we understand that…a leader is a reflection of the party, and Senate Democrats have selected their leadership to represent them.”
She continued:
And so the question needs to be bigger than just one person. We have several Senate primaries this cycle. I know I’m being asked about New York. That is years from now. …We actually do have Senate elections this year, and my hope is that people across this country actually participate in their primary elections in selecting their leadership.
Schumer received massive backlash from fellow Democrats this week after eight Democrat senators voted with Republicans on Sunday night in a procedural vote to allow a continuing resolution (CR) funding the government to advance.
Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), and Tim Kaine (D-VA) defected and joined Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NM), Angus King (I-ME), and John Fetterman (D-PA), who had previously voted to allow the House-passed CR to go forward.
By throwing in the towel, those eight Democrats ensured that their fellow caucus members would not get a guaranteed extension of Covid-era enhanced Obamacare premium subsidies — instead only securing a promise from Senate leader John Thune (R-SD) to hold a vote on the issue “no later than the second week in December.”
Speaking exclusively with Breitbart News just before the record-breaking government shutdown began on October 1, Senate Republican Conference Chair Tom Cotton (R-AR) claimed that Schumer was about to force the shutdown because he is scared of being challenged in a primary by Ocasio-Cortez.
“Chuck Schumer is shutting down the government because he’s terrified of a primary from AOC. His actions are disgraceful,” Cotton said at the time.
Following Sunday’s procedural vote, Cotton told Breitbart News that Schumer is “a disgrace” for putting “his deranged hatred for President Trump ahead of serving the public.”
Olivia Rondeau is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in Washington, DC. Find her on X/Twitter and Instagram.
