Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, remained defiant in the face of continuing criticism and growing calls to resign more than a week after he cleared the way for a Republican spending bill without negotiating any major concessions.
“I’m not stepping down,” he said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet The Press.” “The GOP’s six-month bill was certainly bad,” Mr. Schumer said of the stopgap spending measure that funds the government through Sept. 30. “But a shutdown would be 10 or 20 times worse.”
Critics within his party have said Mr. Schumer squandered the leverage provided by the standoff over the bill to negotiate a bipartisan spending measure that would allow Democrats to reclaim some power in the Republican-controlled Congress.
Defending his decision, Mr. Schumer said the Trump administration could have wielded unchecked power during a shutdown, a situation he had sought to avoid.
“On Day 2, they could say, ‘Oh, SNAP? Feeding hungry children? Not essential’” he said, referring to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. “On Day 4, ‘Mass transit? All transit? Aid to the states? Not essential. We’re cutting it.’”
It was the same argument Mr. Schumer made to colleagues over a week ago, that a shutdown would further empower Mr. Trump and Elon Musk in their bid to defund and dismantle federal programs. But his justification has drawn rebuke from within his own party, with some even calling for him to step down or encourage others to mount a primary challenge when he faces re-election in 2028.
On Sunday, Senator Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont, abruptly tried to end an interview with ABC after he was pressed on whether he wanted to see Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York challenge Mr. Schumer in the primary. Mr. Sanders, who caucuses with Democrats, has joined colleagues in criticizing Mr. Schumer but reaffirmed in the interview that he is “the leader of the party.”
Mr. Schumer on Sunday rejected any comparison between recent criticism he has faced from Democrats and the outcry against President Joseph R. Biden Jr. during his initial refusals to step aside in the 2024 election.
“Look, in my caucus, we have a disagreement as to, you know, some people voted one way, some people voted the other,” Mr. Schumer said. “But we’ve all agreed to respect each other because each side saw why the other side felt so strongly about it. And our caucus is united in fighting Donald Trump every step of the way.”
Minho Kim contributed reporting.
