GEOFF BENNETT: Democrats have few# options for challenging President## Trump and the GOP majorities in the# House and Senate.

But some on the## left say they had a chance to do just that# last week, when Senate Republicans needed## votes from their Democratic colleagues# to pass the government funding bill.

The top Democrat, Senator Chuck Schumer, however,## voted with the GOP and supplied the# needed votes, angering many in his party.

SEN. PATTY MURRAY (D-WA): Let me be# clear.

In my time in Congress, never,## ever has one party written partisan,# full-year appropriations bills for all## of government and expected the other# party to go along without any input.

GOV.

JOSH SHAPIRO (D-PA): I would have liked to# see when Chuck Schumer had leverage here to say,## we need A, B, C and D for the Democratic Party# and force the Republicans to meet him halfway.

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY):# To see Senate Democrats even consider## acquiescing to Elon Musk, I think# it is a huge slap in the face and## I think that there's a wide sense of betrayal# if things proceed as currently planned.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): I myself don't give away## anything for nothing.

And I think# that's what happened the other day.

GEOFF BENNETT: We spoke with Senator# Schumer earlier today about that criticism,## Democrats' path forward and his new book,# "Antisemitism in America: A Warning."

Leader Schumer, welcome back to the "News Hour."

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): Glad to be back.

GEOFF BENNETT: I want to start# with your support of the GOP## funding bill and the criticism# that you have received as a result.

I know that you maintain that a shutdown# would have been far worse than passing## the Republican bill.

What do you# see that the vast majority of Hill## Democrats don't see?

Why are they wrong# in saying that you should have blocked?

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER: Well, Geoff, I knew# when I made my decision there'd be a lot## of people who disagreed with it, but# I felt it was imperative that I do.

The C. -- we had an awful choice, a Hobson's# choice, between a C.R.

bill, which had no## Democratic input, a continuing resolution to fund# the government, and a government shutdown.

As## bad as the C.R.

bill was, the shutdown, I'd say,# would be 15, 20 times worse, and let me explain.

In a shutdown, the whole government shuts# down, and then the executive branch solely## determines what is -- quote -- "essential"# and what is not essential.

So they could say## on day two of the shutdown, SNAP, food# for kids, not essential.

On day four,## no transit funds, mass transit or other,# are essential.

We will only declare as## essential in the transportation# bill air traffic controllers.

On day six, Medicaid, half of it not essential.# We can cut Medicaid, cut rural hospitals,## cut community health centers.

And who has# the power to do this?

The executive.

The## courts have ruled that they have no say, that# the executive makes the sole determination.

Now, in the old days with a shutdown, they# might do little things around the edges,## but look who's in charge now, Musk,# DOGE, and probably worst of all this man,## Vought -- you spell his name, V-O-U-G-H-T --# he's in charge of OMB, which determines the## shutdown.

They want to slash the federal# government.

They want to cut it in half,## all so they can give tax breaks# to their billionaire friends.

And making it even worse, there's# no exit strategy.

In other words,## how long do you stay in the shutdown?

It's# totally up to those evil people who hate## the federal government, who hate all the# good things that we have been able to do.

One of the Republican senators told the Democratic# Senator, if you go to shutdown, we will be in it## for six, nine months until we destroy the federal# government.

So, while certainly the C.R.

was bad,## when you just had those two choices, in# my view, the shutdown had to be avoided.

GEOFF BENNETT: But when you hear the governor# of Pennsylvania say that you squandered your## leverage, or Speaker Emerita# Nancy Pelosi saying that you## gave up the votes and got nothing# in return, how does that strike you?

There are Democrats who say that, if the# government had shut down, you force Republicans## to own it.

All the pain that Americans would feel# that you just described, Republicans would pay the## political price.

Why not be as tactically ruthless# as Republicans have shown themselves to be?

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER: Well, first, there was no# choice.

The Republicans had given us, when they## sent it over from the House, just two choices.# C.R.

as is or shutdown.

There was no other choice.

But, second, if you think that these# Republicans would come to us and say,## oh, we shouldn't have shut down the food# stamps, we shouldn't have shut down Medicaid,## we shouldn't have slashed the federal government,## I don't think that's at all an accurate# reading of who they are and what they are.

And the danger that my prognosis is correct,# which I believe it is, was so, so great,## in terms of destruction, they could furlough# employees forever and just have the federal## government shrink to half its size en# masse.

That would have been the worst,## worst, worst alternative.

And there was# no -- no -- to rely on Republicans, oh,## we surrender, we will come to the table because# what we're doing is bad, doesn't make sense to me.

GEOFF BENNETT: Beyond the questions about# this bill, there are deeper questions,## as you well know, about the approach,# the sense among Democrats that the## Donald Trump of the second term is more# emboldened, more defiant, more divisive,## more dangerous, many Democrats believe,# than the Donald Trump of the first... and that Democrats appear divided... SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER: Geoff, I believe# that too.

I believe that too.

GEOFF BENNETT: So what's the strategy to meet the goal?

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER: Yes.

Well, look,# OK, so we -- there were divisions,## as I said.

I knew that some --# many people would disagree with me.

I felt, Geoff, as a leader, my job, if# there was such danger, such tragedy,## such horror a little bit around# the curve, that I as leader had the## obligation to make sure that didn't happen,# even though I knew there'd be disagreement.

But, going forward, we are all united,## Hakeem and I and all of us.

And what are we# united doing?

Focusing on how bad Trump is.

GEOFF BENNETT: Channeling what I# would imagine would be some of the## pushback from the Democratic base,# it would be that naming and shaming## with Donald Trump doesn't work.

That's what# Democrats have done for the past two years.

In this last election, he#won the popular vote, the Electoral College,## every battleground state.

So# the rules of political gravity,## press conferences and bold statements# and coordinated tweets, it doesn't work.

GEOFF BENNETT: I mean, what does# the fight look like in 2025?

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER: We're going to go after# -- we're going after him in every way.

And, by the way, the people before who said he'd# be shamed and come to the table, that's the exact## opposite of what that is.

So you can't have it# both ways.

But I would say this.

We are -- we --## in 2017, when he was last here, Nancy Pelosi and# I said we're going to go after him on health care.## He was very unpopular with that.

We're going# to go after him on tax breaks for the rich.

And then we won the House and picked up some# seats in the Senate in 2018.

Same thing is## going to happen now.

And we're going to# go after him in so many different ways.## We are doing much better on the social# media led by Cory Booker and Tina Smith## in our house.

And so we're reaching# people who were not reached before.

We are -- we are mobilizing in New# York.

We have people going to the## Republican districts and going after# -- going after these Republicans who## are voting for this and forcing them# to either face -- change their vote## or face the consequences.

This is a long,# relentless fight that we fight every day.

And I am confident that we will# bring Trump's popularity numbers## and strength down if we keep at# it and keep at it and keep at it.

GEOFF BENNETT: There are those who believe that# we are in real time living through an assault on## the constitutional order.

Do you believe that# we are in a constitutional crisis right now?

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER: Yes, our democracy is# at risk because Donald Trump shows that## he wishes to violate the laws# in many, many different ways.

The good news here is, we did put 235 judges,# progressive judges, judges not under the control## of Trump, last year on the bench, and they are# ruling against Trump time after time after time.## And we hope that the appellate# courts, when it gets up there,## and the Supreme Court will uphold those# rulings.

They restored the money to NIH.## They required that 8,000 employees,# federal employees, have to come back.

We're in over 100 lawsuits against them,## and we are having a good deal of success.# It's only at the lower court level right now.

GEOFF BENNETT: Let's talk# about your new book out now,## "Antisemitism in America.

"# That's the title of the book.

You are the highest-ranking Jewish# elected official in America ever.

And## you write that you once felt that your# Jewish identity could be worn lightly,## but that you now feel it's your duty to alert# our country to the rising tide of antisemitism.

There are a number of audiences for this book,## but you have a particular message for# people on the political left.

What is it?

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER: So, my book is aimed at five# groups, first, my generation, to show people, I## know you're feeling alone.

Jews tend to feel alone# in these times.

We're all united in solidarity.

Second, to their children, our children, the# children of our generation.

They're pro-Israel,## they are pro-Jewish, but they know -- don't know# the history, the struggles we have had.

Third is## aimed at non-Jews of goodwill who are friendly# with Jewish people, and they know antisemitism## around, but they tend to think, oh, it's not# that bad.

Why are they making such a fuss?

They don't carry 5,000 years of Jewish history# on their back.

Fourth is the left.

There's## always been vicious antisemitism on the right.

In# fact, I was within 30 feet of the hooligans who## invaded the Capitol on January 6.

And one of them# said: "There's the big Jew.

Let's go get him."

They wore sweatshirts that said:# "Six million was not enough."

But on the left, it's in a different way.

It is# a little more subtle, but it's equally harmful,## because when people -- legitimate# criticism of Israel, fine.

I do it.## I have -- I have gotten some people in the# Jewish community mad because I have done it.

But crossing it over, going on a subway car# and saying, all right, who's a Zionist on this## subway car?

Stand up.

We want to get you out# of the subway car, telling people that Jewish## people are vicious and nasty and horrible and# exploiters, these kinds of things have created## such huge problems for us in the past that I# just -- I warn the left, be really careful.

Don't let that anti-Israel criticism# slide into antisemitic criticism,## which it all too often does.# The final group, by the way,## I'd like to read it is the kids of America,# the younger people of America.

I'd like## every college to have this book and have# their students read it, every high school.

Do you know that 20 percent of people under# 25 believe the Holocaust was a myth?

Another## 50 percent don't even know what the Holocaust# was.

And so we need education, because that has## always been one of the greatest antidotes against# antisemitism, teaching people the actual truth.

GEOFF BENNETT: In the Oval Office days# ago, President Trump condemned you,## saying that you aren't Jewish anymore.

He called# you a Palestinian, using that word as an insult.

In the past, he has questioned why Jewish# Americans would vote for the Democratic Party,## which many people see as deeply offensive.

And yet## the White House makes claims of# alleged antisemitism on college## campuses as a way of cracking down on# universities.

How does that strike you?

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER: It strikes me as Donald# Trump has always regarded Jews as transactional,## people he can use.

He regards them, oh, he# needs money, he needs votes.

He can use the## charge of antisemitism, even# going way beyond where it is.

And he's done lots of things that encourage other# antisemites.

He sat down with this guy Fuentes## one of the greatest antisemites in America.

When# -- in Charlottesville, when they rioted against## the Jews and wanted to harass or even burn# down a temple, he said both sides have merit.

He has allies who have this Great Replacement# Theory, which is an antisemitic theory,## which says the Jews are trying to# bring immigrants into America so## it will no longer be white.

And so# far too often Donald Trump has just## encouraged or turned the other eye# when there are antisemites around.

As for calling me a Palestinian,# don't tell my mother.

GEOFF BENNETT: The book is# "Antisemitism in America:## A Warning," its author, Senator Chuck Schumer.

Thanks again for joining# us.

We appreciate your time.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER: Good to be# here.

Good to be here.

Thank you.