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On a call with Senator Chuck Schumer, the minority leader, six Democratic governors pushed him to slow down the confirmation of President Trump’s nominees and to do more to block his agenda.
Jan. 29, 2025
A group of six Democratic governors pressed Senator Chuck Schumer of New York during a tense call on Wednesday night to be more aggressive in fighting back against President Trump’s nominees and agenda, all but begging the minority leader to persuade Senate Democrats to block whatever they could.
The call, described in detailed notes as well as interviews with two participants and five other people briefed on the conversation, revealed the growing tensions among Democrats about how forcefully they should oppose Mr. Trump.
Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois and Gov. Maura Healey of Massachusetts each told Mr. Schumer that Senate Democrats should not vote for Mr. Trump’s nominees after the administration issued a memo freezing trillions of dollars in federal grants and loans, which was pulled back on Wednesday.
Ms. Healey urged Mr. Schumer to slow down Senate votes and create more public opposition than Democrats in the chamber have generated so far. She also lamented that Democratic governors were bearing the brunt of calls from constituents affected by Mr. Trump’s policies while also leading the legal effort to block them.
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Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, who was chosen as the Democratic nominee for vice president last year largely on the basis of his ability to articulate the party’s message on cable news, said Democrats needed to be more visible on television presenting an alternate vision of governing — not just complaining about what Mr. Trump is doing. Mr. Walz argued that Democrats must occupy just as much media space as Mr. Trump and Republicans have been doing.
