WASHINGTON, D.C.—Yesterday, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer surrendered leverage in the Senate, paving the way for a GOP funding bill that jeopardizes critical programs and accelerates the efforts of Trump, Musk and congressional Republicans to dismantle entire agencies and gut public services. Today, Indivisible met with leaders of our movement, both in New York and across the country, to discuss what this means for the fight to save our democracy. Based on those conversations, Ezra Levin, Co-Executive Director of Indivisible issued the following statement:
“The passage of this dangerous Republican funding bill is a travesty. The ongoing administrative coup led by Donald Trump and Elon Musk is a constitutional crisis. The authoritarians stripping away our rights and trying to loot the government to enrich the billionaires are a five-alarm fire. Indivisibles across the country have been organizing furiously to fight back - that’s where they want to focus. Yesterday, Chuck Schumer gravely undermined their work.
“After weeks of constituents demanding that Democrats use this rare, precious point of leverage on the government funding bill, Schumer did the opposite. He led the charge to wave the white flag of surrender. But Indivisible has no intention of surrendering to Trump, Musk, and congressional Republicans.
“This is why today, we called two emergency meetings of Indivisible group leaders for groups in New York, and for the 1,600 local Indivisible groups nationwide. In a vote, the two groups gave us clear direction: 82% of group leaders in New York and 91% of Indivisible group leaders nationwide voted to call for Schumer to step aside as Senate Minority Leader. Accordingly, Indivisible is calling for Chuck Schumer to step down from Senate Democratic leadership. We thank him for his service, but we need new leadership in this moment and we understand to get there we need a chorus of support for change.
“This is a painful decision, the gravity of which we take very seriously. Senator Schumer has contributed to and led many important accomplishments that Indivisible is grateful for. But with our democracy on the line, he let us, the country, and the Democratic Party down. We organize local activists in communities in every state in the country - regular people dedicating themselves to opposing Trumpism and preserving the promise of a functioning democracy. And they deserve a Democratic party, and leadership of that party, who’s willing to fight as hard as they are.
“Senator Schumer should step aside as leader. Every Democrat in the Senate should call for him to do so, and begin making plans for new leadership immediately. Indivisible will be encouraging our groups and activists to talk to their Senators at town halls, community events, and office visits about the urgent need for a Minority Leader who’s up for the fight this moment demands.
“Our democracy is in danger. The path ahead will be hard. Indivisibles are ready to do the work - it’s time for a Senate Democratic Leader who is too. ”
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ABOUT THE INDIVISIBLE PROJECT
The Indivisible Project (501c4) is a social movement non-profit driven by a vision of a real democracy - of, by, and for the people. Indivisible began in 2016 as a viral guide to resisting Trump’s agenda. Today, the Indivisible movement is a network of thousands of local groups and millions of activists across every state. The Indivisible Project drives campaigns for bold progressive policies, lobbies Congress, and equips activists with tools to build lasting progressive power, everywhere. Together, we fight to defeat the rightwing takeover of American government and build an inclusive democracy.