The White House sharply rebuked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Thursday after he said the ongoing federal government shutdown was “getting better” for Democrats — a remark that drew outrage across Washington and underscored the growing political divide as the standoff drags on.
Speaking to Punchbowl News, Schumer reportedly said, “Every day gets better for us,” claiming Democrats had long prepared for the political fallout and were benefiting from Republican struggles to hold the line. “We knew that health care would be the focal point on Sept. 30,” Schumer said, suggesting Democrats had planned their messaging around the shutdown well in advance, Fox News reported.
The comments ignited a furious response from the Trump White House, which accused Schumer of taking satisfaction in the pain being felt by American workers and families.
“Chuck Schumer just said the quiet part out loud: Democrats are gleefully inflicting pain on the American people over their push to give illegal aliens free health care,” Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Workers are missing paychecks; travelers are missing flights; businesses are struggling; military families are forced to rely on food pantries; but to Chuck Schumer that means ‘every day gets better.’”
Jackson continued, “No matter what Chuck Schumer thinks, Americans struggling is not good, and the Democrats must stop inflicting this pain on them and reopen the government now.”
The political tensions come as the shutdown enters its third week, with federal agencies shuttered and growing uncertainty over whether furloughed workers will be compensated once the standoff ends.
Republicans have placed blame squarely on Schumer, saying the Democrat leader is catering to his party’s progressive base amid political pressure from his left as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has fueled speculation about a potential 2026 Senate primary challenge against Schumer.
President Donald Trump weighed in Thursday during a Cabinet meeting, calling Schumer’s remarks “disgusting” and accusing him of holding the federal government “hostage.”
“Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries and the Congressional Democrats are holding the entire federal government hostage,” Trump said. “He’s terrified AOC is going to run against him, and she probably will. His numbers are terrible — I don’t think he makes it another term.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed Jackson’s remarks, saying Schumer’s comments revealed the Democrats’ priorities.
“While federal workers stress over missed paychecks, military families turn to food pantries, and airports face delays — Chuck Schumer and the Democrats are bragging that ‘every day gets better’ for them,” Leavitt wrote on X. “What a disgusting and revealing statement. Democrats are gleeful about inflicting pain on the American people.”
Schumer’s office defended his comments, providing Fox News Digital with a portion of his Senate floor remarks, which sought to shift blame back onto Republicans.
“Every day that Republicans refuse to negotiate to end this shutdown, the worse it gets for Americans — and the clearer it becomes who’s fighting for them,” Schumer said. “Each day our case to fix healthcare and end this shutdown gets better and better because families are seeing how high their premiums will climb if Republicans get their way.”
Meanwhile, the White House is escalating pressure on Democrats by exploring measures that would tighten the financial strain of the shutdown. Officials at the Office of Management and Budget have floated the possibility that furloughed workers may not be guaranteed backpay once funding resumes — reversing a 2019 Trump-era law that ensured pay was restored after shutdowns.
The move, first reported by Fox News Digital, dramatically raises the stakes for congressional Democrats. If implemented, it would mean tens of thousands of federal employees could permanently lose wages the longer the impasse continues.
“The Democrats are playing games while Americans suffer,” one senior White House official said. “They’re not negotiating in good faith. But this time, the American people see exactly who’s responsible.”
