SUITLAND, Md. ― Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) suggested Chuck Schumer step down as top Democrat in the Senate over his handling of government funding, becoming the first Democratic member of Congress to come out and say so publicly.
“I respect Chuck Schumer. I think he had a great, long-standing career, did a lot of great things, but I’m afraid that it may be time for the Senate Democrats to get a new leader,” Ivey, who once worked for former Democratic Senate majority leader Tom Daschle, said at a town hall on Tuesday.
“I know shutting down the government is not good, I’ve tried to oppose it every time I could, but in this particular instance, it was something that we needed to do,” he added.
The crowd of about 800 people at a high school auditorium in Prince George’s County, home to many federal workers near Washington, D.C., burst into applause. Many Democrats are upset with Schumer for refusing to block a Republican bill funding the government last week, but the senator made clear he isn’t going anywhere, arguing that a shutdown would have been worse.
Ivey, a mild-mannered two-term congressman, also got an earful from dozens of angry constituents about his performance in Congress amid President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s unprecedented efforts to shutter government agencies.
Over and over again, frustrated attendees at the town hall urged the congressman to get louder and more aggressive in fighting Trump. Ivey tried to explain Democrats were relying on the courts and hopes for Democratic victories in the 2026 midterm election to check the president, but most people weren’t buying it.
“You are talking about voting, the house is on fire!” an irate woman screamed at one point. “You are too calm, show some fire like you’re trying to fight for the American people!” She called the event “bullshit” and left the auditorium.
Another woman stood up and dinged Ivey, a former prosecutor, for his genial demeanor. She urged him and other Democrats to try and engage in civil disobedience instead.
“Congressman, I think you are polite, you are knowledgeable, you are well-spoken,” the woman told Ivey. “You are everything we need in a congressperson in ordinary times, but we need something for non-ordinary times. We need you to be a little bit less polite.”
“You speak so calmly and we are so afraid, we’re all so angry,” added another constituent. “It creates this feeling, ‘Oh, this is just the same old, same old.’ I personally don’t feel we’re going to get to 2026.”
Ivey struggled to win over the crowd, but he stood onstage and politely answered questions for over two hours, more than the scheduled one-hour period.
“I appreciate the energy, the focus and the passion,” he told the crowd. “We’ve gotta win in 2026. I know everyone’s angry right now, I’ve got two of my kids, they’re getting laid off too right now, so I get it, but the only way to fix that is to take the House back and hope the courts keep doing the right thing.”
He told HuffPost after the event that “it was important to hear what people are thinking directly” amid their efforts to confront Trump’s administration and their policies. The vast majority of Republicans, on the other hand, decided not to hold town halls at all while Congress is in recess this week, likely out of fear of protests and constituents angry about the Trump administration’s policies.
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Not everyone at the event agreed with the strategy of shutting down the government to push back against Trump, however. Karl Crump, a 64-year-old retiree, told HuffPost it was “kind of crazy” to not fund the government, as some Democrats demanded of their party in Congress.
“I think they should try to want to help the people keep their jobs,” Crump said. “So I guess Trump is just playing his hand against us.”
