OPINION: Chuck Schumer, we’re not upset, just disappointed

“Chuck Schumer photographed in 2022,” Photo by Mariam Zuhaib, AP Photo

Zach Richards is a senior studying history and an opinion writer for The New Political.

Please note that these views and opinions do not reflect those of The New Political.

Despite recent legislative success, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has been largely ineffective and made critical mistakes during his time in office.

The most recent example is Schumer’s decision to respect Republican wishes to delay a vote on the Respect of Marriage Act until after the midterms. The Respect of Marriage Act would codify the Obergefell decision, making gay marriage legal nationwide by an Act of Congress and not just by a Supreme Court decision. This would ensure that a Supreme Court decision overturning Obergefell would not have a vast, negative impact,like the Dobbs decision did.

By delaying the vote until after the midterms, Schumer is respecting Republican wishes to take out the “political sting” of the issue, which is flawed logic. These Republican senators either privately believe gay couples should be allowed to marry or do not. Those who agree with the bill have every reason to vote for it, regardless of when the vote is held. Since upwards of 70% of Americans believe gay marriage should be legal, if a senator privately disagrees with the bill they may still vote for the act to not be on the electorally unpopular side of this issue just before the midterms.

It makes sense to hold the vote within the next couple of weeks to motivate Republican senators still on the fence. If the vote is held after the election, Republican senators will not have to worry about the electoral consequences of voting against the bill.

Due to the filibuster, 10 Republicans are needed to vote with all 50 Democrats for the bill to pass. Even if the bill fails, as long as the vote is held before the election, then Democrats can use it to paint the Republicans as out-of-touch extremists. Some might call that a political ploy, but all Republicans have to do to avoid falling victim to it is a vote for the Respect of Marriage Act.

This is the latest example of Schumer giving too much deference to Republicans and not taking the strategic course that would generate the best policy solution and strategy to retain seats. This was not, however, his worst mistake. His worst mistake was not taking moderate West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin’s Build Back Better compromise a year ago.

To Schumer’s credit, he reached a deal with Manchin to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which spent about $1.1 trillion. However, if he had taken Manchin’s original offer from the summer of 2021, he could have passed a much better bill that would have covered more Democratic priorities. Instead, he tried using leverage over Manchin that he did not have so he’d agree to a $3.5 trillion bill and was left with a worse bill.

To be fair to Schumer, he is working with the narrowest possible Senate majority. Certainly, he has had some accomplishments, but he has made critical mistakes along the way, and Democrats have not gotten as much out of their trifecta as they had hoped.