While Democrats search for a national leader to rally behind, House and Senate Minority Leaders Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) are on the same page heading into a partisan spending battle and contentious elections this November.
The GOP has largely rallied behind President Donald Trump as the leader of their party, following his lead on everything from the “big, beautiful bill” to an upcoming government shutdown fight. Republicans have ridiculed Democrats for having “no leader” in the wake of the 2024 election, after former President Joe Biden withdrew from the race and former Vice President Kamala Harris has largely stepped out of the spotlight following her loss to Trump.
But Democrats have been unable to do the same, with House and Senate Democrats turning to their respective leaders and often finding themselves at odds with one another.
But recently, both Jeffries and Schumer have presented a unified front, especially when it comes to conversations on a short-term spending deal to keep the government open before funding runs out on Sept. 30. Leaving a meeting on Thursday, both Democratic leaders said they were “totally united” and in agreement on a spending deal that extracts healthcare concessions from the GOP.
“House and Senate, Hakeem and I, are in total agreement: what the Republicans are proposing is not good enough for the American people and not good enough to get our votes,” Schumer said.
This is a different approach than what occurred during the last spending fight in March, where Democrats found themselves in a civil war over Schumer’s decision to help Republicans break the 60-vote filibuster to advance the last continuing resolution.
Splitting from Jeffries and House Democrats on the CR raised questions about whether Schumer should remain the Senate party leader.
Top Democrats, including Jeffries, refused to answer questions for days about Schumer’s viability as a leader, while others said they disagreed with his decision but understood there were no good options. Many progressive lawmakers, however, vocally challenged Schumer’s leadership. Some even raised the possibility that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) should primary him.
However, this time around, Democrats are more united as the party argues it needs to fight back harder against the Trump administration, whose executive orders and rescission requests have given Democrats no appetite to help Republicans.
The Democratic leaders are also united, for now, when it comes to endorsing or not endorsing candidates.
New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has received endorsements from several Democratic leaders in and outside New York. But, notably, he has not received endorsements from Jeffries or Schumer.
When pressed by reporters on Sept. 8, whether he would endorse Mamdani soon, Jeffries said, “I have more to say about the mayor’s race when I have more to say about the mayor’s race.” He also said he had no plans “at the moment” to chat with Mamdani again after meeting with him first in July and again in mid-August.
“Who said it’s a difficult topic?” Jeffries asked when pressed further by reporters. “I choose to make endorsements when I choose to make endorsements, and that’s what I’m gonna continue to do. And that’s what I’ve done, for 12+ years as a member of Congress, reelected every two years, consistently.”
Schumer has also not endorsed Mamdani, despite meeting with him on Sept. 9. He told reporters he had a “good meeting” with the mayoral candidate and “we’re going to keep talking,” but he did not endorse him.
Jeffries and Schumer have come under pressure from the party’s progressive bloc to endorse the Democratic socialist, arguing that the Democrats should rally behind their candidate. But Mamdani has not appeared to feel slighted by the lack of an endorsement from the two Brooklyn natives, with his spokesperson speaking highly of Schumer in a statement to Politico.
Eyes will be on Jeffries and Schumer to see whether they remain unified heading into the next two weeks. With a shutdown looming at the end of the month and a GOP trifecta, Democrats will likely face a barrage of messaging from Republicans pushing that Democrats will be to blame for any shutdown.
“It seems Democrats may take the path of maximum resistance and try to shut the government down,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said on Sept. 9. “It’s not surprising, cause they’re struggling, and they don’t really have a message or a leader, and party registration is falling.”
He said Republicans are willing to negotiate in “good faith,” but they have to “think responsibly about how to spend less money.”
“But the ultimate question of whether there’s going to be a government shutdown at the end of the month is going to be up to the congressional Democrats.”
DEMOCRATS DEMAND HEALTHCARE CONCESSIONS FOR VOTES ON GOVERNMENT FUNDING DEAL
Schumer is likely the one to face the most pressure compared to Jeffries, who has largely received the backing of his caucus. But many Democrats, including a few Republicans, are pushing for a bipartisan agreement to include extending the Obamacare premium tax credits in any CR.
Johnson’s right flank is likely not to vote for any spending deal that includes the credits, and even other top Republicans like Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-TX) have said they don’t have a desire to extend them as is.
