Schumer takes heat in D.C. but gets backup at home
And the Mothership will land in Albany Monday.
Good afternoon — it’s Friday and Pi Day.
In today’s CapCon (featuring a free 30-day trial this month):
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer took a lot of heat from Democrats Friday but a top party official from New York pushed back over politics.
Hochul and Trump met at the White House Friday.
The Mothership 👽 will land in Albany Monday and what else is on deck at the state Capitol next week.
New Bills of Note: Gender-affirming care prescriptions, the cost of climate change and consumer credit reports.
Eyes & Ears: Catch up on what you missed from the week.
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🗣️ State Dem chair defends Schumer as House Democrats, Delgado attack
This week feels like it’s lasted a year, right? There (thankfully) wasn’t any news Friday that you’ll need to worry about as a Capitol observer so today’s CapCon is a breeze.
It’s been a while since U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles “Chuck” Schumer, a Democrat from Brooklyn, was the target of criticism from within his own party.
But that’s been the result Friday of his decision to move a spending bill from Republicans in the majority to avoid a shutdown of the federal government.
Even U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the former house speaker and Democratic superstar, went against Schumer and urged Democrats in the upper chamber to reject the plan Friday.
She was not alone. House Democrats from New York took aim at Schumer’s decision as well, though they didn’t mention him by name.
“The Senate Democrats voting ‘yes’ are making a strategic miscalculation that we as a party might live to regret,” Rep. Ritchie Torres said.
“The GOP’s (Continuing Resolution) is a total abdication of Congress’ duty,” Rep. Nydia Velazquez said. “Democrats must FIGHT BACK, not roll over.”
“No senator should support this,” Rep. Daniel Goldman said. “Democratic votes must come with Democratic priorities.”
“House Democrats will not be complicit. We remain strongly opposed to the partisan spending bill under consideration in the Senate,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from Brooklyn, said.
It wasn’t just Democrats in Congress. Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado — who’s openly weighing a run for governor against Gov. Kathy Hochul next year — said Schumer’s decision “was the Democratic status quo’s equivalent of raising the white flag.”
“It was a declaration that the current Democratic Party has no leverage on substance — no positive message to bring to the American people,” Delgado said.
You get the point. There’s not a lot of love, at least publicly, for Schumer today.
But one person went to bat for Schumer Friday: State Democratic Chair Jay Jacobs.
"Reading the angry comments directed toward (Schumer) by fellow Democrats compels me to weigh in on this issue,” Jacobs said. “Too many Democrats prefer the ‘circular firing squad’ and ‘eating our own’ to the more effective approach of finding the right long-term strategy.”
Jacobs predicted that allowing a government shutdown to happen by holding up the bill wouldn’t work well in the Democrats’ favor politically. He said members who’ve targeted their ire at him should play the long game — not die on this hill.
“Anger about his reluctance to invoke the use of the filibuster … may feel good giving vent to our frustration, but will work against our long-term desire to win back the Congress in 2026 and the presidency in 2028,” Jacobs said.
🤝 Hochul and Trump didn’t make any deals Friday
Hochul’s trip to the White House to meet with President Donald J. Trump Friday did not result in any agreements between them on infrastructure, energy or congestion pricing, her office said.
She had reached out to Trump Wednesday for a meeting. That was Friday morning.
Trump had said Thursday that he was interested in talking to Hochul about a natural gas pipeline that New York has held up through regulations. That’s the Constitution Pipeline, which runs from northern Pennsylvania to Schoharie County.
Hochul wanted to talk to Trump about funding for infrastructure projects and the potential impact that tariffs from Canada on energy could have on New York residents.
“Gov. Hochul and President Trump covered a range of topics in today’s meeting, including the redevelopment of Penn Station, congestion pricing, tariffs and energy policy,” her office said. “While no formal agreements or decisions were reached, it was a productive conversation and we look forward to continuing the dialogue in the coming weeks.”
If Hochul plans to speak with Trump again in “the coming weeks,” she’ll have quite a bit on her plate. The state budget is due in 18 days, but who’s counting? (Me.)
Conversations with Trump could also change how Hochul views the state spending plan, though we won’t know until one of them says as much.
Lawmakers introduce bills all the time. We’ll tell you about the interesting ones here. This section may not appear on days when there are no new bills of note.
Gender-affirming Care Prescriptions: New York recently approved a law that allows doctors who prescribe abortion medication to have the name of their practice listed on the prescription label rather than their name. That’s intended to protect those doctors from out-of-state legal action. This would allow doctors to do the same for prescriptions related to gender-affirming care, like for hormone replacement therapy. (S6422 Hoylman-Sigal, new bill)
Freezing a Consumer’s Credit Report: Everyone has a credit report, regardless of their credit score. That report is used by companies when deciding whether to approve a credit or financing application. This would allow consumers to place a “hold” on their credit report to prevent it from being used to steal their identity. (S6446 May, new bill, not online yet)
Cost of Climate Change: Utility companies have said they expect energy prices to increase as a result of the state’s transition away from the existing fossil fuel infrastructure. This would require the state to produce an annual report that would estimate the actual ratepayer costs and benefits related to the state’s climate mandates. (S6412 O’Mara, refiled)
At the Capitol gives you information about scheduled committee meetings, hearings and other government goings-on at the Capitol and in the Legislature.
🕥 At the Capitol: Monday Mothership and next week
Monday is St. Patrick’s Day and the Legislature is in session. The Senate is scheduled to gavel in at 3 p.m. The Assembly is scheduled for 2 p.m.
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