TRANSCRIPT: Schumer On Meet The Press – Republicans Must “Sit Down And Have Serious Negotiations” With Democrats To Avoid A Government Shutdown, Schumer: GOP Feeling “The Heat[...]

Brooklyn, N.Y. - Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today joined NBC's Meet The Press to discuss the need for serious negotiations to avoid a government shutdown and the upcoming meeting with President Trump and congressional leaders.

Kristin Welker: Joining me now is Senate Minority Leader, Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York. Leader Schumer welcome back to Meet the Press.

Leader Schumer: Good morning. Glad you're in New York.

Welker: We are thrilled to be in New York. Thank you so much for being here in person. We really appreciate it. I have to start off by talking about this big meeting at the White House on Monday, President Trump, all of the congressional leaders. How did it come about? And could this be a sign that you can get adeal done?

Schumer: Well, first, how it came about. You know, we Democrats have been pushing for a meeting and a real negotiation, which they haven't done. They've just done their own bill. And so, I called John Thune Friday afternoon, and I said, "Come on, let's sit down. The only way we're going to get this done is a serious negotiation, and we need the President as part of it. We need Speaker Johnson. Let the four leaders and the president sit down."

And Saturday evening, we got a call from the White House that they would do it Monday at 2pm. So, we're delighted. It's a good first step.

Welker: You think you can keep the government open, or you think you're headed…?

Schumer: Well, it depends on the Republicans. You know, the meeting is a first step, but only a first step. We need a serious negotiation. Now, if the president at this meeting is going to rant and just yell at Democrats and talk about all his alleged grievances and say this, that, and the other thing, we won't get anything done. But my hope is it will be a serious negotiation.

You know, I saw Leader Thune say we didn't shut the government down when they were in the minority. You know why? Because I, as Majority Leader, sat down and negotiated with them, and we had to come to a compromise where neither side got everything it wanted. So, if they're serious, I'm hopeful we can get something real done.

Welker: Speaking of Leader Thune, he just gave us a new statement about this meeting. Let me read it to you. You can respond.

He says, "Rank and file Democrats are getting nervous, and Senator Schumer is too. The far left has painted them into an unsustainable corner, and they know it. Hopefully Senator Schumer sees the light and listens to the same voice that walked him and his colleagues away from the edge of a shutdown in March. If a White House meeting helps him get there, I welcome the opportunity. Fundamentally, nothing has changed, though, and the choice remains the same. Democrats can either vote for a clean, short term nonpartisan CR that prioritizes the American people, or they can choose a completely avoidable shutdown that prioritizes politics above all else."

Your reaction and would you accept a deal, Leader Schumer, that doesn't include an extension of those Obamacare subsidies?

Schumer: Well, first, the bottom line is very simple, Kristin. It's up to them. If they come into the meeting to seriously negotiate and the reason we've been pushing for months, we've been resolute that we need a meeting, that we need a real negotiation, that you don't do this by one party putting together a completely partisan bill, and saying, take it or leave it. So, they felt the heat. The President, at first said no. Remember, he first said yes for a meeting, then he said no for a meeting, and went on a rant against Democrats. But I think they felt the heat and they now want to sit down.

But the fundamental question hasn't been answered yet, and we'll see on Monday. Are they serious about negotiating with us in a real way?

We have two concerns. The first is health care. Our health care situation is in shambles in good part because of what the Republicans did in the BBB, their so-called Big, Beautiful Bill. Now they want to change the name of it, because they know it's not very popular. I think 68% of Americans don't like it, and so it's a mess.

We're representing the people. Everywhere I go and my colleagues go throughout the country, red, blue, purple, people are saying, "Oh, my God, you got to change this." People are losing their jobs. Rural hospitals are closing. People are going to get notices of $4,000 a year increase in their premiums. So, our job is to represent the people of America. So far, they've stonewalled and said we're not discussing any of that, andwe'll see if it changes on Tuesday, okay?

Welker: Well, President Trump…

Schumer: On Monday.

Welker: Yeah. Well, President Trump, as you know, is threatening mass firings of federal workers, thousands of them. He says, back in March, when you were talking to the Republicans, that was one of your big sticking points. You said, I don't want to see federal workers fired. Here's what you told me back in March, let's take a listen.

Schumer: They would keep the government shut down for six months, nine months a year, until everyone was furloughed and gone and quit, and there'd be no way to stop it. So, I thought that would be so devastating to the Republic and anger so many people.

Welker: Leader Schumer is the difference this time, the immense pressure you are getting from your base to stand up to and fight President Trump?

Schumer: Absolutely not. We're hearing from the American people that they need help on health care and as for these massive layoffs, guess what? Simple one sentence answer, they're doing it anyway. There's no shutdown. They're laying off all these people. The budget they proposed says another 300,000 federal workers should be laid off. They laid off 80,000 in the Veterans Administration. They're trying to intimidate the American people and us. But the bottom line is, if they fire all these people, first, the courts have brought a lot of them back because what they did was illegal. And second, there is such pressure on them not to do it because of the harm it causes people that they back off. Originally, they fired 80,000 from the Veterans Administration. Now it's 30,000. That's still bad, but it shows you the heat is on them when they do this, and the American people won't like it at all.

Welker: You know, back in March, you told me that you didn't have an off ramp. What is your off ramp this time? If the government does shut down, do you have one?

Schumer: Yeah, look, God forbid the Republicans shut the government down, the American people will know it's on their back. First, they're in charge. They have the House, they have the Senate, they have the presidency. So, they know who's in charge.

Second, everyone knows that you need a bipartisan negotiation to get this done. The American people do.

But third, there's going to be huge pressure on Republican senators, congressmen, and even Trump, to do something about this horrible health care crisis. Closing of the rural hospitals, people's premiums going up $4,000 a year. A middle-class family can't afford that. I saw a mother the other day who said, my daughter has cancer. If these cuts go through, her treatment will end. I'm going to have to watch her suffer. That'shappening all over America.

So, the heat will be on them if they do it. We hope they don't. We don't want to shut down. We hope that they sit down and have a serious negotiation with us. I would remind Leader Thune, that's how we all did it in the past, a bipartisan negotiation. That's why the government didn't shut down while I was Leader.

Welker: I have to turn to the other big news. We have been tracking the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey. He's accused of lying to the Senate back in 2020. You heard my conversation with Leader Thune, he notes the fact that he was indicted by a federal grand jury. He also says he wants to let the process play out. Do you trust? Do you have faith in the judicial system?

Schumer: I have no faith in Donald Trump's judicial system. He has turned this judicial system to be his own political fighter, do what he wants politically, so that he tells them to go after people he doesn't like. He tells them to exonerate people that he likes. So many people are getting pardoned and this and that he has turned his Justice Department into his own political watchdog. It's horrible. No president has done this. This is what autocrats do. This is when Trump says he wants to be king, to do it.

And, so, when he says he doesn't like Comey, look what happened there. Kristin, the prosecutor who he appointed, said there's not enough evidence to indict Comey, so he fired this prosecutor and put in someone who'll do whatever he wanted. Trump's done so many bad things to undermine our democracy, to undermine our norms, this is one of the very worst.

Welker: You're talking about executive authority. And I want to ask you, broadly, we just learned Leader Schumer, that President Trump is saying he now wants to send federal troops into Portland, Oregon. What is your reaction to that? Leader Thune defended it. What say you?

Schumer: It's indefensible. What we've always had in America is, when there are problems, domestic problems in terms of safety, in terms of violence, it's the local police departments, the local sheriffs, the state sheriffs, who handle the problem.

What normal presidents would do would be say, "Oh, is there a problem here? Call up the governor of the state of Oregon, and say, 'How can we help you get this done'" What he's done instead, she told him she doesn't need him. The governor of Oregon said we don't need you. And yet he comes in and brings in these troops.

This is so against the American way. We do not have our military do local law enforcement. And he tried it in Los Angeles. It backfired on him. The people of Los Angeles got upset, and the lower court threw it out.

Welker: 30 seconds. Is there anything you can do to stop it? In Congress?

Schumer: Yes. First, we will fight it in the courts. Along with, you know, people who will file suits. But second, I would hope, Kristin, that some of our Republican colleagues-I know they're loyal to Trump and does whatever he wants-but this is so far stepping over the line that I hope some of them would join us inlegislation to prevent it from happening. We have such a proposal. I'm part of it.

Welker: Okay. Well, we'll watch it very closely. Leader Chuck Schumer, thank you so much for being here.

Schumer: Great to be here with you.

Welker: Great to see you, we really appreciate it.

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