Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters Tuesday Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer should “of course” remain in his leadership amid a backlash in the party to the New Yorker’s handling of a recent government funding vote. It’s a notable vote of confidence in Schumer from his longtime legislative partner.
Pelosi had previously criticized Schumer’s handling of the bill, saying in San Francisco last week, “I myself don’t give away anything for nothing.” Schumer and a group of Senate Democrats voted to advance the GOP-written funding bill, incensing their House counterparts who had almost universally opposed the funding bill and pushed for a short-term extension instead.
Schumer responded to Pelosi during an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday, saying Democrats had “no leverage point” and that he was prepared to take the heat for an unpopular decision: “I say to people: When you’re on that political mountain, the higher up you climb, the more fiercely the winds blow,” he said, adding, “I had to do the right thing for the country and for our party.”
Pelosi also expressed faith in House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, telling reporters Tuesday that “the more they hear from Hakeem, I think the better for our country.”