Van Hollen Says Schumer Must Earn Senate Power

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) says Senate Democrats shouldn’t automatically keep Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) as their leader when Democrats take control of the chamber next Congress. Before choosing who will hold the post, Van Hollen says, the caucus should discuss how it will use its new responsibilities and powers. The leadership question is framed as a decision for senators at the top. Van Hollen wants them to discuss what those powers are for before giving anyone another term.

A leader without a blank check

"We need to have a discussion in the Democratic caucus," Van Hollen told journalist Alex Wagner at Crooked Media's Crooked Con event on Saturday. "We need to understand what the Democrats are going to do with this new responsibility and these new powers. And that nobody should get a blank check without a full understanding from the caucus as to where we're going to go."

That’s Van Hollen’s public argument: discuss the agenda, then choose a leader. It isn't an announcement that he wants the job. He has said he isn't considering a run for majority leader, so his criticism targets the process and the prospect of automatically retaining Schumer.

Van Hollen made similar comments to reporters earlier in the week. He told Bloomberg News that senators shouldn’t commit to anyone before having a conversation and receiving specific commitments. In his account, the caucus should establish what it expects before giving its leader authority to act in its name.

The record behind the leadership fight

Schumer currently serves as minority leader, and some of his decisions over the past couple of years have drawn criticism. One example in the dispute: he voted with Republicans to avoid a government shutdown. The base article doesn't detail the consequences of that vote, but identifies it as one decision fueling criticism of his leadership.

Some progressive groups have urged Democrats not to select Schumer as majority leader when Democrats take control of the chamber next Congress. That pressure focuses on the caucus’s choice of leader; the article describes no grassroots organizing or mutual-aid effort connected to the debate. The fight reported here stays inside Senate politics, among senators and groups urging them to choose differently.

Support is not unanimous

Multiple Democratic senators have expressed support for Schumer as leader in recent days. Their support sits alongside calls for a discussion and progressive groups’ opposition, leaving the caucus with competing demands before it chooses a leader.

Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed (D-Michigan) told CNN he would support Van Hollen if Van Hollen ran for majority leader. But Van Hollen has said he isn't considering such a run. The article offers no account of a caucus decision or specific commitments from Schumer; it records a contest over who should lead and what Democrats should do with the powers they are about to hold.

For now, the authority at issue is leadership of the Senate Democratic caucus. Van Hollen wants the caucus to talk first. Schumer has supporters, and he has critics pointing to his vote with Republicans to avoid a shutdown. The senators who will decide whom to select still hold the choice.