During Friday’s broadcast of Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) offered his theory as to why Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was seemingly unwilling to budge on passing a continuing resolution to reopen the federal government.
Emmer dismissed the suggestion that Schumer was concerned about a primary challenge in 2028.
According to the Minnesota Republican, Schumer was worried about losing his position as minority leader.
“Well, I know, and you know you said, or you just suggested that some Democrats are telling you, or your colleagues, yes, we want to reopen,” host Maria Bartiromo said. “We want to do it. But, you know, leadership is telling us not to. Do you think the people will vote out leadership? I mean, this is really impacting the American people right now, and they’re getting paid.”
Emmer replied, “Yes. Well, first off, the Minority Leader in the House is not relevant. It has really nothing to do with this thing. He walked his members off the plank back on September 19th, where every one of them but one, Maria, voted not to pay our troops, not to pay our air traffic controllers, not to keep the government open. This is now on the Senate, and you hit it correctly, will they lose their leadership post? That’s the other thing I believe that’s driving this.”
“Chuck Schumer voted for this very same C.R. just six months ago, and had his members do the same,” he added. “By the way, they voted for the same C.R. 13 times under Joe Biden. I would argue to you, Maria, that Chuck Schumer actually wrote this C.R., but why isn’t he voting for it now? Because everybody says he’s afraid of a primary. I don’t believe that. I don’t think he’s ever running again. I think he’s mostly afraid of keeping his leadership position through the rest of his term. He almost lost it last spring. I think he fears that if they reopen the government, and it doesn’t look like they fought enough for this extreme, radical left-wing of their party, that they will come after him, and he’s afraid of losing his leadership post.”
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