Schumer is desperately trying to maintain relevance. And doing so has come at a big cost.
Because he made a complete fool of himself thanks to one slip of the tongue.
Democrats Rally Against GOP’s Voter Citizenship Bill
In a heated standoff on Capitol Hill, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has pledged that Democrats will stand firm against a Republican push to mandate proof of citizenship for voting, labeling the move as a throwback to discriminatory practices of the past. The controversy heats up as lawmakers grapple with election security amid ongoing funding talks for key federal agencies.
Schumer, speaking on CNN, didn’t mince words about the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which recently cleared the House and now faces a Senate showdown.
The legislation aims to tighten voter registration by requiring citizenship verification and creating data-sharing channels between states and federal officials to scrub rolls of any noncitizens. It would also empower the Department of Homeland Security to step in on immigration enforcement tied to voter discrepancies.
Despite broad public backing for voter ID measures—polls show around 83% of Americans in favor, including a solid chunk of Democrats—Schumer and his party allies argue the bill goes too far, potentially sidelining millions from the ballot box.
Schumer Blasts Bill as ‘Jim Crow 2.0’
Dismissing the proposal as rooted in partisan gamesmanship, Schumer accused Republicans of targeting vulnerable groups to tilt the electoral scales.
“We will not let it pass in the Senate,” Schumer told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “We are fighting it tooth and nail. It’s an outrageous proposal that is, you know, that shows the sort of political bias of the MAGA right. They don’t want poor people to vote. They don’t want people of color to vote because they often don’t vote for them.”
He went further, warning that the requirements could effectively bar over 20 million eligible voters, particularly those from low-income and minority communities who might struggle to obtain the necessary documents.
“What they are proposing in this so-called SAVE Act is like Jim Crow 2.0,” Schumer said. “They make it so hard to get any kind of voter ID that more than 20 million legitimate people, mainly poorer people and people of color, will not be able to vote under this law.”
Not all Democrats are fully on board, though; Pennsylvania’s Sen. John Fetterman has broken ranks before, calling voter ID checks far from a “radical idea,” which could hint at cracks in party unity. Without broader support, the bill’s path forward looks slim unless Republicans force procedural changes, like tweaking filibuster rules—something they’ve historically resisted.
Tensions Rise Over DHS and Election Oversight
Adding fuel to the fire, Schumer sharply rebuked suggestions from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem that her agency should play a bigger role in ensuring election integrity, especially as Congress negotiates to reopen parts of the government shuttered since Friday.
Noem had emphasized the need for proactive steps to build trust in the voting process, but Schumer dismissed it outright, especially amid Democrats’ push to restrict Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from sensitive spots like schools and polling stations.
“That’s a load of bull,” Schumer said.
“They show no evidence of voter fraud. They show there’s so little in the country. And to have ICE agents, these thugs, be by the polling places, that just flies in the face of how democracy works, of how we’ve had elections for hundreds of years, very successfully.”
