Nancy Pelosi Takes Arch Swipe At Chuck Schumer On Her Home Turf

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she was looking to the future, but had no problem citing the recent past to shade Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday. (Watch the video below.)

Before a home crowd in San Francisco, the former House speaker criticized Schumer for coaxing a Democratic cave-in to pass a GOP spending bill that averted a government shutdown.

Pelosi said that “what happened last week was last week” and “it is about what comes next” before hurling a thinly veiled barb at the Senate minority leader.

“I myself don’t give away anything for nothing. I think that’s what happened the other day,” she said.

Schumer has argued that he was advocating for the lesser of two evils because a shutdown would have enabled President Donald Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk to furlough thousands of federal workers. It also could have enabled the Trump administration to choose which federal agencies would remain open or closed ― maybe permanently.

Leaning into comments by top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Pelosi suggested she had confidence in Schumer to lead Democrats in the Senate but criticized him for surrendering bargaining power to Republicans. Democrats are fighting to protect Medicaid against anticipated GOP cuts ― the main subject of the press conference.

“We could have, in my view, perhaps gotten [Republicans] to agree to a third way,” she said, referring to a short-term bipartisan extension.

Republicans “may not have agreed to it, but at least the public would have seen them not agreeing to it — then they would have been shutting the government down,” Pelosi said. “Because we don’t want government to shut down.”

Schumer joined nine other Democrats in helping to pass the GOP bill, which included drastic cuts to health care, veterans benefits and cancer research.

In a statement last week, Pelosi chastised her longtime party counterpart for acquiescing to a “false choice.”

“Donald Trump and Elon Musk have offered the Congress a false choice between a government shutdown or a blank check that makes a devastating assault on the well-being of working families across America,” her statement read.

“Let’s be clear: neither is a good option for the American people. But this false choice that some are buying instead of fighting is unacceptable. I salute Leader Hakeem Jeffries for his courageous rejection of this false choice, and I am proud of my colleagues in the House Democratic Caucus for their overwhelming vote against this bill.”

Schumer, who later said “I believe so strongly I did the right thing,” has rebuffed calls to resign as Senate Democratic leader.

Fast-forward to 51:23 for Pelosi’s Schumer shade: