Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is postponing several events across the country this week to promote his new book amid Democratic backlash to his handling of last week’s government funding fight.
“Due to security concerns, Senator Schumer’s book events are being rescheduled,” said a statement provided by Risa Heller, who is handling communications for Schumer’s book, “Antisemitism in America: A Warning.”
The postponement comes as protesters were expected to attend the events after Schumer led a group of Senate Democrats to provide key votes to pass a Republican-led government funding bill backed by President Donald Trump to avert a shutdown. Schumer and nine others in the Senate Democratic caucus voted to advance a six-month funding bill on Friday, helping it clear the 60-vote hurdle on a margin of 62-38.
The New York Democrat argued that it was the best of two bad options, warning that a shutdown would only play into the hands of Trump and his attempts to dismantle the federal government.
One of the postponed events in New York was scheduled to be a conversation between Schumer and Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., who joined the criticism of the minority leader’s decision.
“Bailing out the Republicans without extracting anything in return is political malpractice,” Torres wrote on X. In a separate post, he called it a “strategic miscalculation that we as a party might live to regret,” labeling the bill “the best (and possibly only) leverage” that Democrats had to thwart parts of Trump’s agenda.
Apart from New York City, Schumer was also expected to speak about his book in Baltimore, Washington, Philadelphia and several cities in California.
Daisy Conant and Lindsey Pipia contributed.