Senators were skittish on Tuesday when asked if they would support Senator Chuck Schumer for majority leader. Large sections of the Democratic base say they want Schumer out. But alternative plans are scarce, and most Dems won’t do more than hint at them, even when asked outright.
Two potential challenges appear to be brewing: one from Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and perhaps one from Elissa Slotkin of Michigan.
In a letter to Democratic and Republican congressional leaders, Van Hollen (D-Md.) and 11 other members of the Senate Democratic caucus demanded exclusion of three specific provisions from the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), warning they would “constrain the administration’s ability to independently determine how best to protect US national security and would lock in long-term commitments despite our serious concerns with the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza, the West Bank, and other parts of the region.” Schumer did not sign the new letter.
Two of the provisions raised in the letter—Section 1217 of the Senate-passed NDAA and Section 219 of the House version of the bill—would establish a “United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative” aimed at accelerating “bilateral defense technology research, development, testing, evaluation, coordination, and industrial cooperation.”
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In total, 40 senators supported the resolution late Wednesday. The seven Democrat Senators who voted against the measure were Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Chris Coons of Delaware, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Jacky Rosen of Nevada, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.