Amid the longest federal government shutdown in the nation’s history, debates have persisted about the effectiveness of leadership strategies on both sides of the aisle, but now that the standoff appears on the verge of ending, one high-profile lawmaker is absorbing substantial blowback from within his own party.

After eight Democrats in the Senate defected to support a GOP-backed bill to end the impasse and reopen the government, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is facing calls for his removal, including from notable liberal figures such as California Rep. Ro Khanna, as Just the News reports.

Schumer in the crosshairs

Despite his best efforts to hold his party together in opposition to the Republican-supported funding bill, Schumer was unable to stop the aforementioned group of Democrats from crossing the aisle, despite the measure’s lack of Obamacare subsidy extensions, long cited as a major sticking point in discussions with the GOP.

Acknowledging defeat, Khanna took to X on Sunday and declared, “Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced.”

Khanna continued, “If you can’t lead the fight to stop healthcare premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?”

Referencing broader dissatisfaction with Schumer in the context of the recent mayoral election in New York City, Wisconsin Democrat Rep. Marc Pocan said of Schumer, “Don’t endorse or say who you voted for in NYC despite there being a Dem candidate.”

Pocan went on, making clear his desire to see Schumer’s ouster by adding, “Get Dem Senators to negotiate a terrible ‘deal’ that does nothing real about healthcare. Screw over a national political party. Prifle of scourge? Next.”

Criticisms mount

Khanna and Pocan were far from the only ones going public with their exasperation over Schumer’s handling of the shutdown, with a number of other Democrats suggesting that it is time for the longtime leader to step back from his powerful perch.

As Axios notes, Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) expressed his frustration, stating his belief that “if [Schumer] were an effective leader, he would have united his caucus to vote ‘No’” on the deal brought forth by Republicans.

Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX) opined, “If I were a senator, I would be asking Senator Schumer to step down as minority leader. He simply cannot meet this moment.”

Michigan Rep. Shri Thanedar put things plainly, stating, “It is time for us to have somebody who can stand up to [Donald] Trump and someone that is unwavering, somebody who is more strategic, and, frankly, somebody with guts.”

Suggesting that Schumer’s leadership post is indeed in jeopardy was longtime Democratic Party strategist David Axelrod, who said on Monday, “I think he’s been in trouble. I think he is in bigger trouble now,” adding, “My guess is that he won’t be the leader of the party in 2027, after this election, unless something really surprising happens.”

Trump weighs in

Adding his take on Schumer’s current woes was President Donald Trump, who told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, “I think he made a mistake in going too far. He thought he could break the Republicans, and the Republicans broke him.”

Despite the growing internal party backlash against Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) did his best to defend him, asserting on Monday that he had “waged a valiant fight on behalf of the American people,” but unfortunately for the senator, many on his side of the aisle seem to agree with Trump that the longtime lawmaker was once “a pretty talented guy” who has simply “lost his talent” and that Democrats would be wise to make a change.