Article Author:
Associated Press
Lisa Mascaro
WASHINGTON (AP) — shoes off, almost empty container of leftovers, half-drinking wine — this is one of them It was an exhausted portrait. The most powerful Democrat in Washington after President Joe Biden's broad health, climate and economic package passed the Senate.
Chuck Schumer of New York Jan. 6, 2021 In effect, he changed from minority leader to majority leader on the morning of the riot in the Capitol. His 50-50 Senate run is the longest in U.S. history.
He is not methodical, as evidenced by the crumbs on the senator's carpet in his office outside the Senate Chamber.
But with a willingness to broker politically unsavory compromises and a willingness to continue to haunt his colleagues as New Yorkers, Schumer took advantage of his party's fragile hold in the Senate. , has achieved substantial and considerable achievements in recent years.
"Perseverance. After a round-the-clock session and the Senate passage of Biden's bill, Schumer said in an interview late Sunday night.
The $740 billion package It was never envisioned, but it is still huge and would be a major legislative win for any president and his party. Taxing large corporations that neglect, builds on a long-standing desire to launch about $375 billion in what is the nation's largest investment in fighting climate change: revenues from corporate taxes and the federal government's prescription drug deals with pharmaceutical companies. By allowing the cost to be negotiated, the remaining $300 billion will be used to reduce the deficit.
Not everyone is rooting for Schumer.
As Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell put it, Republicans have mocked the Democrats' efforts as "yet another round of reckless tax and spending." Over the weekend, he argued that Democrats misinterpreted their slight control over Vice President Kamala Harris' ability to tie the vote as an imperative for far-reaching policy goals. And the 755-page bill builds on a similarly streamlined set of initiatives, much to the disappointment of liberals in the party. But some of the rare bipartisan agreements were Republican-backed, bringing unexpected benefits to Congress.
The toughest gun violence fight of a generation, a bipartisan effort to tighten down who can own a gun, is now being enacted into law. Biden is about to sign his $280 billion bipartisan bill this week to boost the semiconductor industry and his nearly $300 billion bill to help veterans exposed to toxic burns. increase.
Democrats alone have implemented his $1 trillion COVID-Aid package, which McConnell calls a buffet of "all-you-can-eat liberal spending." But McConnell and the Republicans joined Schumer in passing his $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill for the country's roads, broadband and other needs.
In addition to legislation, in the last 18 months under Schumer's leadership, the Senate held the fourth presidential impeachment trial in US history, and ultimately Trump instigated a Capitol riot. acquitted Trump of the crime. He approved Finland and Sweden to join NATO and approved the first black woman, Ketanji Brown Jackson, as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice. "It's the longest in the 1980s, and being able to lock all 50 Democrats behind the legislative agenda is a true tribute to the Schumer leader," said Senator Chris Coons. Delaware Democrats.
"Remember, one of them was the biggest bill passed in Congress. Oh, last year, a huge bipartisan infrastructure bill. It was the largest in a generation, and before that, the Rescue Plan for America. Unlike, Schumer doesn't enjoy the majority usually needed to get the job done. His filibuster tradition of having a 60-vote threshold for advancing most bills is a powerful tool that can thwart almost any initiative.
With no room for error, Schumer relies on an important skill — speaking
When he first became a Democratic leader, he was in the minority at the time. I made sure every segment was seated at the table at the caucus, from Bernie Sanders on the left to Joe Manchin on the right. His flip phone has become such an integral part of his communication strategy that Schumer now holds it up as a prop to remind him of how he works. }
And dinner.
Schumer invited West Virginia senators to dinner after Manchin abruptly walked away from talks with Biden on the Republican Party's first "build better" proposal. Look, Joe, I said we had to do something here," recalls Schumer.
The day after Valentine's Day, while eating spaghetti and meatballs at his Italian restaurant in Capitol Hill, Schumer set to work.
"And I said, look, you have a lot of influence here. You've proven that you're willing to stop everything. But I had to get 49 senators to vote for it, Schumer told the former governor he had recruited to run for the Senate a decade ago.
Schumer's willingness to address political evil with good — in Manchin's case, Coal State senators' claims to liberal lamented oil and gas industry policies — enraged liberals,
Even though he voted in favor of the final bill, Sanders denounced the final bill as inadequate, accusing Sanders' colleagues of Progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been noted as a powerful New York Democrat. One day he will challenge Schumer in the primary. There are several senators near the House that we can imagine becoming majority leaders one day.
Schumer remarks: "My job is to get things done."
"It's very easy to be Mitch McConnell," he said of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He spoke of a Republican who took pride in sending a "cemetery" bill from a Democratic congressman when he was the majority leader.
"It's easy to stop things, especially in a Senate designed to stop things. Hard to get things done."
Schumer said. , has always wanted to be the leader of the Senate since the election more than 20 years ago. But even he was a little surprised when, in the Jan. 5, 2021 special election, his two Democrats in Georgia, Rafael Warnock and John Ossoff, won and won a majority.
At 4:00 am on the morning of January 6, Schumer was informed of the final election night tally. Just hours later, as he was addressing the Senate as the presumptive leader, a Capitol police officer grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him off the floor.
As a mob of Trump-loyal mobs stormed the Capitol, he and other congressional leaders, ushered to safety, agreed to return to session that evening and the President Decided to move on to the next meeting after certifying the elections. New Congress Jobs.