A defiant Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) defended his decision Friday to vote in favor of cloture for a Republican-backed funding bill that would avert a looming government shutdown – and brushed off threats to his leadership position.
In an interview on CNN shortly after his vote roiled his fellow Democrats, Schumer stood firm, repeating his insistence that “as bad as the [continuing resolution] was,” a government shutdown “would be far worse.”
“My job as leader is to lead the party, and if there's going to be danger in the near future, to protect the party,” Schumer told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “And I'm proud I did it. I knew I did the right thing, and I knew there would be some disagreements. That’s how it always is.”
The New York lawmaker added that he was unconcerned about losing his leadership role, saying he has “the overwhelming support of my caucus,” which he said is “in sync” with him.
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“I expected when I did this – I think it was an act of strength – of courage,” Schumer concluded. “And I knew that most people wouldn't agree with me. But I am confident I did the right thing. And I think history will vindicate that.”
He ended with a short proverb that he used to help illustrate the political thinking that helped him arrive at his vote.
“When you're in politics, you know what I’ve always said, the higher you climb up the mountain, the fiercer the winds blow, and the only way not to be blown off is to have your internal gyroscope,” Schumer said. “My internal gyroscope – my very thorough look at what would happen on either alternative – came to a strong conclusion. And that was that a shutdown would be much, much worse.”
Watch the clip below or at this link: