CNN’s Van Jones said there was a “volcanic eruption” of outrage among Democrats after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer helped Republicans pass the government funding bill on Friday.
“How angry are Democrats at Leader Schumer?” CNN anchor Erin Burnett asked Jones after the Senate passed the bill.
“I’ve never seen this level of volcanic anger at a Democrat, ever,” the former Obama special advisor replied.
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“Ever?” Burnett pressed. “Ever,” Jones confirmed, shaking his head.
The New York senator drew Democrats' ire for breaking ranks to pass Republicans' funding bill, which keeps the government open for the next six months, instead of pushing for a bipartisan 30-day measure.
“We want a Mitch McConnell,” Jones said, referring to the former Republican Senate Majority Leader, who frustrated Democrats by routinely blocking their legislation during Obama’s presidency.
“I remember when Obama had all the cards,” he added. “Mitch McConnell drove Obama nuts, twisted his pinky, broke his kneecaps, and got stuff done for Republicans when they shouldn’t have gotten an inch.”
Schumer, he said, had “radically misread the room” before allowing Republicans to push their legislation through and handing Trump a political victory, even if it averted a government shutdown.
“We want somebody who’s gonna stand up to this bully,” he declared.
Schumer defended his decision on the Senate floor friday, arguing that a government shutdown would have allowed Trump to “take even more power,” while handing Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency the “keys to the city.”
“And that is a far worse alternative,” Schumer said.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who led Democrats with Schumer before stepping down as House Speaker in 2022, sharply criticized his decision.
“This false choice that some are buying instead of fighting is unacceptable,” she said.
