As the government sits on the edge of yet another financial cliff with the funding for a group of federal agencies set to end on Friday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer slammed Republican House leadership’s inability to manage their members, Politico reports.
In a letter to his Senate colleagues, Schumer said he hoped Speaker of the House Mike Johnson “will step up to once again buck the extremists in his caucus and do the right thing,” adding, “While we had hoped to have legislation ready this weekend that would give ample time for members to review the text, it is clear now that House Republicans need more time to sort themselves out.” Schumer went on to ask Senators to keep their schedules flexible in case Johnson got things straight in the House.
For his part, Johnson called Schumer’s letter “counterproductive,” claiming that the latest funding bill contained “new Democrat demands that were not previously included in the Senate bills. At a time of divided government, Senate Democrats are attempting at this late stage to spend on priorities that are farther left than what their chamber agreed upon.”