Washington — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer outlined Democrats’ strategy to push back against the Trump administration on Monday, detailing efforts to combat what he called a “coordinated assault” by President Trump and his administration that “is not what most Americans and our constituents voted for in November.”
“Senate Democrats have a responsibility to fight back on behalf of American families as Republicans look the other way in obedience to Donald Trump. And we are,” Schumer wrote in a letter to colleagues, laying out how the “fight is being waged across multiple fronts.”
Schumer, a New York Democrat, lambasted the president and his “cronies, sycophants, and radicals” who he alleged are pursuing a coordinated agenda to “hollow out the government and cut off critical services to American communities across the country” for the benefit of the most wealthy. He cited the administration’s gutting of federal agencies and programs, and granting Elon Musk’s team access to Treasury Department data, among other things.
“Make no mistake about it: The Republicans’ entire agenda is to further enrich the rich and powerful by cutting investments in working families and handing our democracy over to 21st century robber barons,” Schumer added.
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Schumer outlined that Senate Democrats are responding on four fronts. With oversight, he said Senate committees are leveraging congressional authority to probe the “intent, legal justification and real-world impact” of the Trump administration’s actions. And he pledged that Democrats are committed to working with whistleblowers with the launch of a new portal to field reports of corruption, abuses of power and threats to public safety.
The New York Democrat also pointed to litigation, saying Senate Democrats are working to support courts as the “first line of defense” against the administration’s actions. On legislation, since Republicans hold a 53-seat majority short of the 60-vote threshold needed on most bills, Schumer said Democrats will use their votes “to help steady the ship for the American people in these turbulent times.” He noted that Democrats will support legislation to fund the government and prevent a shutdown, with a deadline next month.
Lastly, Schumer said Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Cory Booker of New Jersey are spearheading a “coordinated, aggressive” communications and mobilization effort to “keep Senate Democrats informed, united, and amplifying the truth behind the Trump Administration’s agenda,” crediting the effort for the halting of the Office of Management and Budget memo that directed all agencies to temporarily pause federal assistance last month.
The push comes in the aftermath of the 2024 elections, which delivered key victories for Republicans, and spurred a reckoning among the Democratic party on its path forward — and who should be its new standard-bearer. But the party has appeared to harness momentum following recent Trump administration actions geared toward making the government more efficient in recent weeks that have spurred confusion through corners of the federal government and beyond.
contributed to this report.
