It has been arguably the biggest crisis of Sen. Chuck Schumer’s long political career. 

Fellow Democrats from all corners of the party have sharply criticized his decision to advance a Republican spending bill to avoid a government shutdown.

Now, nearly two weeks later, many Democrats in Washington, D.C. are signaling they want to turn the page on the controversy — but not all. 

What You Need To Know

  • This week, though, congressional Democrats who spoke with Spectrum News signaled an eagerness to move on and focus, instead, on a Republican plan taking shape that could hit major programs like Medicaid
  • Over the weekend, Schumer told NBC News, "I'm not stepping down"

Some — most notably progressives — are not ready to forgive the Senate minority leader. 

“I was very disappointed with the decision he made. I completely disagreed with it,” Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida said Monday.

“We need somebody who is able to meet the moment, and if he can't do it, then maybe there'll be somebody else who can,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington said. 

A poll conducted after the government shutdown standoff showed Schumer’s standing among Democrats across the country, taking a dramatic hit. His favorability rating fell from 57% in late February to 39% in mid-March, according to the Economist/YouGov poll.

But most congressional Democrats who spoke with Spectrum News this week signaled an eagerness to move on and focus, instead, on a Republican plan taking shape that could hit major programs like Medicaid. 

Asked if Schumer should remain Senate Minority Leader, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “Of course, of course.”

Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota said, “I am not interested in a conversation about the leadership of the Democratic caucus. I'm interested in how we can stop Trump from doing what he's doing.”

“My number one priority is ending the lawlessness of the Trump administration,” Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon said. 

Both Smith and Wyden, unlike Schumer, voted against advancing the GOP spending bill.

Schumer remains close with his colleagues, and as the party’s Senate leader, has a reputation for being attentive to their needs. 

Former Schumer aide Jim Kessler, in an interview Tuesday, dismissed talk that his former boss’s role as leader is at risk. 

“This happened to Mitch McConnell. This happened to Nancy Pelosi. This has happened to everyone who's led a caucus: a time when you have to make a decision that's unpopular, that protects your other members, but causes you turbulence, and that's what’s happening to him,” he said. 

Many Democrats considered a vote against the Republican spending bill as a way to register their objections to the president and push back on Trump. 

But Schumer repeatedly said he was worried that blocking the bill and triggering a government shutdown would have empowered the Trump team to further upend federal agencies. 

“I'm not stepping down,” Schumer said over the weekend on NBC’s Meet the Press. “The [continuing resolution] was certainly bad … but a shutdown would be 15 or 20 times worse.”

A shutdown, Kessler added, would have undermined Democratic efforts to blame Trump for the impact of his DOGE-inspired cuts on government services. 

“If the government was shut down, this would be blamed on Democrats. It is being blamed on Republicans,” he said. 

While the anger against Schumer may have waned, it has not disappeared and there are early signs it could play a role in next year’s Democratic primaries. 

For example, Mallory McMorrow, a Democrat eying a Senate run in Michigan, recently called for new Senate leadership, telling Politico Magazine it is time for Schumer to step back.