Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) unleashed a blistering attack on Senate Democrats after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) backed a House GOP continuing resolution (CR), securing its passage Friday and averting a government shutdown.
Calling it an “outrage and betrayal,” Ocasio-Cortez accused Schumer of abandoning House Democrats who’d fought the bill tooth and nail. But Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), another yes vote, shrugged off her fury with a blunt dismissal, exposing a raw fracture in the party.
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The CR, a Republican-led stopgap funding the government through September, cleared the Senate after Schumer and nine other Democrats joined GOP ranks to break a filibuster.
Ocasio-Cortez, speaking Thursday from the House Democrats’ retreat in Leesburg, Virginia, decried the move as a cave-in to Trump and Elon Musk’s agenda.
“It codifies chaos and reckless cuts,” she told reporters, hinting at Musk’s influence via his “Department of Government Efficiency” push. Some House allies, unnamed but incensed, even whispered of a primary challenge against Schumer, per CNN, though Ocasio-Cortez dodged questions on that front.
Fetterman, unfazed, torched her critique in a Friday chat with The Hill.
“I hope you can relay how little I care about her views on this,” he said, doubling down on his vote. “I’m going to stand on what I happen to believe is the right thing to do, but ask her, ‘What’s the exit plan once we shut the government down?’ What about all the millions of Americans who are going to have their lives damaged?” Fetterman continued.
The clash lays bare a Democratic divide: Ocasio-Cortez’s progressive wing demands defiance, while Schumer, Fetterman, and pragmatists prioritize stability.
House Democrats nearly unanimously rejected the CR Tuesday, with only Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) breaking ranks.
Schumer, who’d railed against Trump’s budget pick Russell Vought in January for ties to Project 2025, argued a shutdown would hand Trump worse leverage. Fetterman echoed that, scoffing at the lack of a shutdown “off-ramp.”
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The rift’s timing stings—polls show Democrats bleeding support as GOP identification climbs. Fetterman’s rare public jab at Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive powerhouse, hints at Senate frustration with House idealism.
With the CR now law, this internal brawl won’t fade soon. How Democrats bridge—or widen—this gap could shape their 2026 fate. For now, it’s Schumer’s pragmatism versus AOC’s fire, with Fetterman tossing fuel on the flames.
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