House Dems undercut Jeffries on Schumer’s leadership as Left’s messaging woes persist

Congressional Democratic unity still appears to be in tatters after a public fracture between Capitol Hill’s top two left-wing leaders over government funding.

At least two House Democrats took shots at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., at their respective events on Tuesday after Schumer and nine other Senate Democrats voted with Republicans to avert a partial government shutdown last week.

“I thought it was critical to make sure that we blocked that bill. I was deeply disappointed that Senator Schumer voted with the Republicans,” Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., told residents of his deep-blue district. “You know you’re on bad ground when you get a personal tweet from Donald Trump thanking you for your vote.”

He said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who got all but one Democrat to oppose the bill in the lower chamber, “met the moment,” while Schumer “did not.”

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“I think he’s had a great, long-standing career. He’s done a lot of great things, but I’m afraid that it may be time for the Senate Democrats to pick new leadership as we move forward,” Ivey said to applause.

However, despite his praise for Jeffries, Ivey’s public message appeared in stark contrast to the Democratic leader’s overtures to his counterpart earlier on Tuesday.

“Yes, I do,” Jeffries briefly answered when asked whether he still had confidence in Schumer as the Senate Democratic leader.

Jeffries told reporters at a press conference in Brooklyn, New York, that “we are all aligned on the fights that are in front of us” and that he and Schumer had a “good conversation about the path forward, particularly as it relates to making sure we all speak with one voice.”

While still reserved in his praise, it is a much different tone than what Jeffries took last week, after he was reportedly blindsided by Schumer breaking the dam of Democratic opposition to say he would vote for the Republicans’ federal funding bill.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is joined by her family and husband Paul Pelosi as they attend her portrait unveiling ceremony in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Democrats had accused Republicans of walking away from bipartisan government funding talks at the expense of critical government programs, while Republicans said Democrats were making unrealistic demands about constraining President Donald Trump’s power.

After that vote, Jeffries twice refused to back Schumer when pressed by reporters. “Next question,” he said to a pair of questions about his support for his fellow Brooklyn Democrat.

However, his message of unity on Tuesday was similarly undercut by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who answered affirmatively when asked if she supported Schumer as Senate Democratic leader, but she criticized the way he handled the funding matter.

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“I myself don’t give away anything for nothing. I think that’s what happened the other day,” Pelosi said at an event in San Francisco. “We could have, in my view, perhaps gotten them to agree to a third way, which was a bipartisan [funding bill] for two to four weeks, in which we could have had bipartisan legislation to go forward.”

She said of Republicans, “They may not have agreed to it, but at least the public would have seen their not agreeing to it, and then they would have been shutting government, because we don’t want government to shut down.”

Meanwhile, other sources told Fox News Digital that frustrations lingered among Democrats over Schumer’s decision.

Rep. Glenn Ivey speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 12, 2025. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

“Hardly ever, if ever, have there been votes that are significant where House Dems and Senate Dems split. So this is a big problem,” one Democratic source told Fox News Digital. “We should be doing everything possible to take back the House. And that means if the House makes a call, like Hakeem did…that’s because they have a political assessment that it’s in their best interest electorally. 

A senior House Democratic aide said Schumer’s move was bad, but the party needed to coalesce to oppose Trump.

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Outside the D.C. Beltway, criticism of Schumer has gained traction among Democrats, despite Jeffries publicly mending fences.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, both floated as early possible 2028 contenders, signaled they were frustrated by Schumer’s move.

Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer’s office for comment.

The longtime Senate Democrat said he is “the best leader” for his caucus during an interview on “CBS Mornings” this week.