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Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) called for the removal of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Sunday, after eight Democratic caucus members broke with the party to advance an agreement that would end the government shutdown against Schumer’s wishes.
Democratic unity in Congress, which held fast for over a month amid the longest government shutdown in history, fractured on Sunday night when a spending agreement passed the Senate by a 60-40 vote.
Eight Democratic caucus members joined their Republican colleagues in voting to advance the measure, which would fund the majority of federal agencies through January.
Schumer had so far succeeded in holding his party together in their efforts to keep the government shutdown until Republicans agreed to renew Affordable Care Act subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year.
The new agreement promises Democrats will get a vote on healthcare subsides after the government reopens, though many within the party have warned that such a pledge should be insufficient and unlikely to pass the Republican-led Congress.
The Minority Leader spoke out against the new agreement during the vote on the Senate floor, saying he “must vote no” because “this healthcare crisis is so severe.”
Khanna, a Democratic firebrand, hit back against Schumer, writing on X that the Senator’s failure to protect healthcare made him unfit for his leadership position.
“Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced,” wrote Khanna. “If you can’t lead the fight to stop healthcare premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?”
Many on the left have also voiced their fury over the vote and displeasure over Schumer’s leadership. Progressive outlet MeidasTouch founder Ron Filipkowski wrote on Sunday that if Schumer “can’t run the team, then someone else needs to.”
“There is no Dem who thinks that Schumer voting No washes his hands of it. He is the captain of the ship and owns the process and end result. If he can’t run the team, then someone else needs to,” he wrote. “Hopefully the other Dem senators understand the mood of the voters.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) also spoke out against the vote, calling it “very very bad.”
“Tonight was a very bad night,” wrote Sanders on X.
Reopening the government could still be days away, as the spending agreement must pass through the House before it can be signed by the president.
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