The White House blasted Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for what it called a “disgusting and revealing” comment about the ongoing government shutdown.
Schumer reportedly told Punchbowl News that the situation was improving politically for Democrats. “Every day gets better for us,” he said, explaining that his party had planned ahead to make health care a focal point in the battle over government funding.
Republicans accused Schumer of deliberately prolonging the shutdown to appease progressives in his party — particularly as New York Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani leads in the city’s mayoral race and speculation grows that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez could challenge Schumer in a primary.
“Chuck Schumer just said the quiet part out loud: Democrats are gleefully inflicting pain on the American people over their push to give illegal aliens free health care,” White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital.
She added, “Workers are missing paychecks; travelers are missing flights; businesses are struggling; military families are forced to rely on food pantries; but to Chuck Schumer that means ‘every day gets better.’”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed that criticism on X, calling Schumer’s comment “disgusting and revealing.” “While federal workers stress over missed paychecks, military families turn to food pantries, and airports face delays — Chuck Schumer and the Democrats are bragging that ‘every day gets better’ for them,” she wrote.
Schumer’s office pushed back, sharing an excerpt from his Senate floor speech. “Every day that Republicans refuse to negotiate to end this shutdown, the worse it gets for Americans — and the clearer it becomes who’s fighting for them,” he said, arguing Democrats are trying to protect families from higher health care costs.
During a Cabinet meeting, President Donald Trump accused Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of “holding the entire federal government hostage.” He also claimed Schumer was “afraid of AOC” and predicted the senator would soon retire because “his polls are so bad.”
Meanwhile, the White House Office of Management and Budget signaled that furloughed federal workers might not receive backpay once the shutdown ends — reversing a Trump-era policy. The move raises the stakes as the shutdown drags on and both sides trade blame for the deepening crisis.