Defiant Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., insisted "every day gets better" for Democrats who have refused to join Republicans in ending the government shutdown.
Now nine days in, the funding stalemate shows no signs of resolution — but Democrats are showing little sign of retreat.
In an interview with Punchbowl News from his Capitol office, Schumer projected confidence in his strategy, saying Democrats had long prepared for a battle over healthcare funding and were "gaining political momentum" despite growing fallout from the shutdown.
"Every day gets better for us," Schumer said. "We knew healthcare would be the focal point, and we prepared for it. Their whole theory was — threaten us, bamboozle us, and we would submit in a day or two."
Schumer has successfully held his caucus together after three early defections, blocking the Republicans' clean continuing resolution that would have reopened the government.
Democrats are seeking an extension of Obamacare subsidies.
Schumer said Democrats were winning the public relations fight, as polls continue to show voters blaming President Donald Trump and Republicans for the crisis.
"Even the pain that's caused — when things are actually shut down, they blame Trump. Because he's in charge," Schumer said.
While Republicans insist Democrats triggered the shutdown by rejecting a funding deal, Schumer and his allies believe Trump's threats of mass layoffs and deep agency cuts have only hardened public opposition.
Trump has yet to follow through on those warnings, and his decision to cut infrastructure funds in blue states, Punchbowl reported, further stiffened Democrats' resolve.
The administration has tried to blunt the shutdown's impact — pledging to use tariff revenues to fund the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition program — but Democrats have interpreted those steps as proof the White House is feeling pressure.
Schumer, who took heat from progressives earlier this year for backing a GOP spending bill, has been in close touch with top Democrat figures such as former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and several governors as he works to maintain party unity.
"We knew that this would be a hard fight," he said. "But every day we're getting better and better as the message sinks in more deeply."
Still, as Politico noted, the Democrat leader faces both praise and peril within his own ranks. Many on the left see Schumer's newfound backbone as vindication after years of frustration — "He hasn't surrendered yet," said Indivisible co-founder Ezra Levin — but activists and lawmakers remain wary of any perceived compromise.
Some critics warn that if Schumer concedes too soon, he could face calls to step aside from his leadership post.
Republicans, meanwhile, accuse Schumer of bowing to his party's progressive wing.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., charged that the minority leader was engaged in "desperate attempts to rehabilitate his own image," while House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., likened his stance to "throwing a tantrum."
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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