1 00:00:01,900 --> 00:00:03,800 GEOFF BENNETT: The federal government is heading toward a shutdown one week 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:07,033 from now with no potential solution in sight. President Trump canceled a 3 00:00:07,033 --> 00:00:11,100 planned meeting with Democratic congressional leaders, Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, 4 00:00:11,100 --> 00:00:16,100 saying what they're asking for in negotiations is unserious and ridiculous. 5 00:00:17,366 --> 00:00:18,633 Senator Schumer joins us now from New York. 6 00:00:18,633 --> 00:00:20,366 It's good to see you, sir. 7 00:00:20,366 --> 00:00:23,333 So, why do you think President Trump canceled this meeting just a day 8 00:00:23,333 --> 00:00:28,333 after you announced it? And is there a path forward absent direct negotiation with him? 9 00:00:30,466 --> 00:00:34,333 SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): Well, we hope there's a path forward to avoid this Trump shutdown. 10 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:40,433 We have been trying for a long time to sit down, first with the Republican leaders, 11 00:00:42,633 --> 00:00:47,233 Speaker Johnson and John Thune, and they wouldn't sit down with us. And we wondered why. And then 12 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:53,300 it came out clearly two weeks ago. Trump said, we don't need the Democrats. We can do it on our own. 13 00:00:55,433 --> 00:00:58,966 Now, obviously, he doesn't know his math. You need 60 votes in the Senate. There are only 14 00:00:58,966 --> 00:01:03,933 53 Republicans. So, of course, he should be sitting down. And that's what -- he is 15 00:01:06,066 --> 00:01:09,233 derelict in his duty as president. He should be sitting down with us. He said he would. Jeffries 16 00:01:11,300 --> 00:01:15,300 and I requested that we sit down together. They called us up and said Thursday 3:00. 17 00:01:17,366 --> 00:01:20,300 And then yesterday, he canceled it. And he said - - yes, he said our proposals are ridiculous 18 00:01:20,300 --> 00:01:25,300 and radical. Well, they're not radical at all. To prevent the average American who 19 00:01:27,233 --> 00:01:31,300 is on ACA's health care bill from going up $5,000 a year is not radical. To try 20 00:01:33,266 --> 00:01:36,633 to keep so many rural hospitals which are in danger of closing is not radical. 21 00:01:36,633 --> 00:01:41,233 These are things the American people are totally on our side. The AC -- the big, 22 00:01:41,233 --> 00:01:46,200 the so-called BBB, Big Beautiful Bill, which is a big ugly bill, is -- Americans don't like it; 23 00:01:49,533 --> 00:01:54,500 68 percent of Americans don't like it, just about every Democrat, two-thirds -- up to two-thirds or 24 00:01:56,833 --> 00:02:00,233 three-quarters of independents, depending on which poll you look at, and even a third of Republicans. 25 00:02:00,233 --> 00:02:04,866 So, of course, he should sit down with us. And let me say one more thing on this, Geoff. He's 26 00:02:04,866 --> 00:02:09,866 derelict. When I was majority leader for the four years, we never had a shutdown because I 27 00:02:12,166 --> 00:02:15,066 sat down with the Republican leader and we came to an agreement. This president is just -- he's 28 00:02:17,133 --> 00:02:20,533 not up to being president if he can't sit down and negotiate with the two Democratic leaders. 29 00:02:20,533 --> 00:02:24,466 GEOFF BENNETT: So if Republicans refuse to agree to restore cuts to health care 30 00:02:24,466 --> 00:02:29,466 and Medicaid funding, would Democrats be willing to let a shutdown happen? 31 00:02:30,966 --> 00:02:33,100 SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER: Look, I hope it doesn't come to that. We're 32 00:02:33,100 --> 00:02:37,733 on our front foot in three ways with the American people on this. 33 00:02:37,733 --> 00:02:42,733 First, the Republicans control the presidency, the Senate, and the House. So the average American's 34 00:02:44,966 --> 00:02:48,266 going to say, they're in charge, they got to get this done. Second, when they -- when the American 35 00:02:50,700 --> 00:02:53,466 people hear that they won't even negotiate with us, they're appalled. And the data we have shown 36 00:02:55,733 --> 00:02:59,066 shows that, when people are asked if Republicans won't even sit down and negotiate with Democrats, 37 00:03:00,900 --> 00:03:04,500 59 percent blame Trump for the shutdown and only 31 percent blame Democrats. 38 00:03:06,766 --> 00:03:09,933 But, finally and most importantly, we're trying to get things done that the American people want 39 00:03:12,066 --> 00:03:15,233 us to get done. And so I hope it won't come to that. I hope Trump will come to his senses. I 40 00:03:17,166 --> 00:03:20,633 hope other Republicans will quietly or otherwise whisper to him that this is 41 00:03:22,900 --> 00:03:26,500 not -- it's just not what a president should do. It's not how the government should function. 42 00:03:28,266 --> 00:03:32,400 GEOFF BENNETT: In March of 2025, you joined several Democrats in voting 43 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:36,000 to avoid a shutdown. And you said on this program at the time that, 44 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:41,000 as bad as that spending bill was -- this is a quote -- "A shutdown would be 15, 20 times worse." 45 00:03:42,033 --> 00:03:43,433 What's different this time around? 46 00:03:43,433 --> 00:03:45,666 SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER: Three things are different. 47 00:03:45,666 --> 00:03:50,666 One, we have seen how bad and the American people have seen how bad Trump's policies 48 00:03:52,633 --> 00:03:55,866 are. They are just -- people don't -- are saying that Trump is not doing anything he 49 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:00,866 wants. They're angry with Trump because of higher costs. Some of it's the tariffs. Some 50 00:04:00,866 --> 00:04:05,866 of it's what he did with electric rates, but a lot of it is due to health care. 51 00:04:07,266 --> 00:04:09,366 So that's a lot different than it was then. Second, 52 00:04:09,366 --> 00:04:13,866 they have shown that they're willing to go around the law if we don't stop them from 53 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:21,800 that. And they have had these rescissions, they have had these impoundments, and they have just 54 00:04:23,866 --> 00:04:26,900 illegally in certain ways not funded the government. And that's even without a shutdown. 55 00:04:28,700 --> 00:04:33,300 And, third, we Democrats are united now. We are totally united in saying, 56 00:04:35,366 --> 00:04:37,100 we want to sit down, we want to negotiate. We're not going to get everything we want, 57 00:04:37,100 --> 00:04:39,300 they're not going to get everything they want, 58 00:04:39,300 --> 00:04:43,933 but to help deal with the chaos in health care caused by this big so-called beautiful bill. 59 00:04:45,900 --> 00:04:49,333 GEOFF BENNETT: And to what degree are you feeling pressure from Democrats 60 00:04:49,333 --> 00:04:54,333 who say that elected leaders should hold firm and fight? 61 00:04:55,633 --> 00:04:57,566 SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER: Look, the bottom line is, 62 00:04:57,566 --> 00:05:01,100 the majority of -- overwhelming majority of Democrats, both House and Senate, 63 00:05:01,100 --> 00:05:06,100 are united on what we -- on the fact that health care's a mess and we have to fix it. 64 00:05:08,166 --> 00:05:11,133 And my caucus and I believe the House caucus is just appalled that the Republicans won't 65 00:05:12,900 --> 00:05:15,733 even sit down and negotiate with us. So it's not pressure from one 66 00:05:15,733 --> 00:05:20,000 group or another. It's sort of a universal feeling that what they're doing is totally, 67 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:25,000 totally derelict. And if there is a shutdown, it's going to be a Trump shutdown on their shoulders. 68 00:05:26,766 --> 00:05:29,833 Who doesn't sit down and try to talk and work this out? Only people who 69 00:05:31,633 --> 00:05:35,433 don't really know how to be a president. We will sit down anywhere with him, 70 00:05:35,433 --> 00:05:39,733 Geoff. We will go to a golf course and sit down with him. We will do anything to try 71 00:05:39,733 --> 00:05:44,733 and get some -- we will go anywhere, rather, to try and sit down and come up with an agreement. 72 00:05:47,333 --> 00:05:52,333 We're going to fight for health care, of course, in that. But 73 00:05:54,066 --> 00:05:57,333 they're just totally derelict, Trump is, in his responsibilities. 74 00:05:57,333 --> 00:05:59,200 GEOFF BENNETT: If... 75 00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:01,533 SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER: And the American people know it, and they will know that, 76 00:06:01,533 --> 00:06:05,233 if God forbid there's a shutdown, it's a Trump shutdown, because he won't even talk to us. 77 00:06:05,233 --> 00:06:10,233 GEOFF BENNETT: If a shutdown occurs, what direct consequences should the American public expect? 78 00:06:12,166 --> 00:06:15,833 SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER: Well, look, that will be -- again, we hope we can avoid 79 00:06:15,833 --> 00:06:20,833 a shutdown. We hope that better heads will prevail. But we will fight tooth and nail if 80 00:06:24,533 --> 00:06:28,233 they try to use the shutdown to hurt the American people. 81 00:06:28,233 --> 00:06:31,666 But that's why we want to avoid it. And that's what we're doing, everything we can 82 00:06:31,666 --> 00:06:36,666 to avoid it right now. And, hopefully, Trump in the next few days will come to his senses. 83 00:06:39,500 --> 00:06:43,100 GEOFF BENNETT: One of the questions I have had for you, and I will use this occasion to ask it, 84 00:06:43,100 --> 00:06:48,100 Democrats are outraged by what they see as President Trump's abuse of power. But has the way 85 00:06:50,333 --> 00:06:54,433 he's wielded power made you rethink how Democrats should govern if you regain the White House, 86 00:06:56,766 --> 00:07:01,533 given the tools, the expanded executive authority, and the approach that he will have left behind? 87 00:07:03,400 --> 00:07:06,533 SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER: Well, look, he's done so much damage in so -- every day, 88 00:07:06,533 --> 00:07:10,800 it's something else. I mean, what they're trying to do, what Brendan Carr is trying to 89 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:15,800 do -- and thank God Jimmy camel is back on the air -- is just so un-American. 90 00:07:17,933 --> 00:07:20,900 The First Amendment, for instance, is the core of things. And what Trump has tried to do is 91 00:07:22,833 --> 00:07:27,233 just make the government -- shut down any opposition to him in so many different 92 00:07:29,333 --> 00:07:32,400 ways. And I think we Democrats, should we get back power -- and the chances are increasing 93 00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:37,400 that we will because there's such negativity towards Trump and because people know we're 94 00:07:39,533 --> 00:07:43,066 fighting for them -- we are going to have to undo a lot of the bad things that Trump did. 95 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:47,266 GEOFF BENNETT: But is there any thought about what a Democratic inverse would be 96 00:07:47,266 --> 00:07:52,000 to all that Trump has done and likely will do in the remaining three years? 97 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:56,466 SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER: Well, we're going to have so -- if -- when we get back 98 00:07:56,466 --> 00:08:01,466 in -- even in 2026 -- and, as I said, the odds are looking better and better that we can retake 99 00:08:03,533 --> 00:08:06,066 the House and retake the Senate -- there are going to be so many different things to do. 100 00:08:06,066 --> 00:08:09,900 And we will figure out the best way to get each one done. 101 00:08:09,900 --> 00:08:12,466 GEOFF BENNETT: Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, we hope you will join 102 00:08:12,466 --> 00:08:17,466 us back on this program as we get closer to October 1. Thanks for your time, sir. 103 00:08:19,333 --> 00:08:20,700 SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER: Thank you for having me, Geoff. Appreciate it very much.