Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is stirring the pot again, this time with a pointed jab at Senate Democrats over a record-breaking government shutdown while playing coy on whether Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer should step aside, as the New York Post reports.
After a grueling 42-day shutdown -- the longest in U.S. history -- eight Senate Democrats crossed the aisle to vote with Republicans on a measure to reopen the government, a move that has Ocasio-Cortez fuming and speculation swirling about her own political ambitions for 2028, whether against Schumer or even for the White House.
This shutdown saga kicked off weeks ago, stretching federal workers and taxpayers to their limits for over a month.
Back in March, Schumer opted not to block a Republican measure to avert a shutdown, a decision that ruffled feathers among the progressive wing of his party.
Fast forward to this latest standoff, and Schumer held firm, voting repeatedly to block GOP efforts to reopen the government unless healthcare policy concessions were secured.
But cracks in the Democratic Party ranks emerged when five members of Schumer’s caucus flipped on Sunday, joining three earlier defectors to pass a bill on Tuesday to end the 42-day ordeal.
The Senate’s decision to pass the measure was a bitter pill for some, with the bill now headed to the House for a vote expected later on Wednesday before landing on President Trump’s desk for a signature.
Ocasio-Cortez, the fiery 36-year-old congresswoman from Queens and the Bronx, didn’t mince words about the Senate’s handling of the crisis, though she stopped short of directly targeting Schumer, who is 74 and a fellow New York Democrat.
“I think what is so important for folks to understand is that this problem is bigger than one person, and it actually is bigger than the minority leader in the Senate,” Ocasio-Cortez said, neatly dodging a direct attack while still tossing a grenade at the party’s leadership strategy.
Let’s unpack that. Her comment sounds noble, but it’s a slick way to keep the heat on Senate Democrats without naming names, leaving room for her own political maneuvering as whispers of a 2028 primary challenge against Schumer or even a presidential bid gain traction.
“You had eight Senate Democrats who coordinated their own votes on this,” Ocasio-Cortez added, pointing fingers at the defectors who broke ranks to end the shutdown without securing firm Republican commitments on healthcare.
While she’s clearly frustrated, her refusal to outright condemn Schumer personally feels like a calculated move -- why burn a bridge when you might be eyeing his seat or an even bigger stage in a few years?
Schumer’s camp, unsurprisingly, pushed back against the brewing discontent, with a spokesman telling the Post, “Sen. Schumer has led the fight on the health care crisis, and will continue to do so.”
That’s a fair defense. Schumer did hold the line during this shutdown, unlike the March incident, but with half a dozen House Democrats and at least four Senate candidates publicly calling for new leadership, the pressure is mounting, even if no sitting senator has joined the chorus.
Still, the optics aren’t great for Schumer when polls from earlier this year showed Ocasio-Cortez outperforming him in a hypothetical primary matchup, a sign that the younger, more progressive energy she brings could be a real threat if she decides to challenge the status quo.
