Progressive activist groups in New York City are calling on Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand to “fight like hell” against any upcoming federal budget legislation backed by President Donald Trump that “jeopardizes healthcare or fuels Trump’s lawlessness.”
The statement from Indivisible, a coalition of left-of-center organizations, comes in the shadow of a looming government shutdown. Bedraggled Democrats and ascendant Republicans are gearing up to pass legislation to fund the government beyond September 30. Barring any action, the federal government will enter a shutdown next month.
Indivisible said that Democratic state senators “surrendered” to Trump back in March during a similar funding fight. They asked that Gillibrand and Schumer “hold the line” after seeing the results of that capitulation.
“Rank-and-file Democrats across the country were furious and called for new leadership,” Indivisible Executive Director Ezra Levin said. “Headed into this second round, New York Democrats are clear that they want congressional Democratic leadership to do one simple thing: fight like hell.”
Klein said his fellow Democrats were “looking for substantive leadership, not just performative gestures” and wanted their elected representatives to block Trump’s “blank check” legislation to enact further spending cuts.
“If they don’t, they won’t just further empower this authoritarian regime; they also risk fracturing the Democratic Party over their failed leadership,” he said. “We’re urging our leaders to lead.”
In letters to Schumer and Gillibrand, Indivisible further warned the senators that Democrats should expect disappointing results in the 2026 midterms if they don’t fight now.
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“You must not repeat the mistakes that were made in March by granting Democratic votes for Republican legislation without getting anything in return,” Indivisible wrote.
The statements come in the midst of a politically disastrous year for Democrats. With a record-low approval rating of 34%, Democrats have faced national accusations ranging from political “helplessness” to willful inaction.
