Chuck Schumer Uses Trump Demands to Force Republicans Into Tough Spot

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is using former President Donald Trump's demands to defund key federal law enforcement agencies to force Republicans into a tough spot.

Trump, who has been under several criminal investigations, last week directed Republicans to "defund" the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ). His order came just one day after he pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business documents in a New York probe into an alleged hush money payment made during his 2016 presidential campaign. He has maintained his innocence in that case and also faces two investigations from the Justice Department into his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election and classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago residence.

The former president has long decried his treatment within the justice system, accusing prosecutors of engaging in politically-motivated witch hunts aimed at weakening his 2024 presidential bid. Last Wednesday, Trump directed Republicans to defund these two agencies, writing that Democrats "weaponized law enforcement in our country."

Schumer, a New York Democrat, announced on Tuesday plans to hold a vote on a resolution condemning Trump's "defund" call when the Senate reconvenes next week, calling Trump's comment a "baseless, self-serving broadside against the men and women who keep our nation safe" in a letter sent to his colleagues.

The vote could leave Republican Senators in a difficult position, as they are forced to balance their longstanding support for law enforcement and Trump, Robert Y. Shapiro, a professor of political science at Columbia University, told Newsweek.

"It puts them in a tough spot. Schumer is introducing it to basically demonstrate that Democrats support law enforcement and can be tough in that front in a way that deviates from the current perception, compared to Republicans," he said.

The GOP has long sold itself as "tough on crime," touting its support for law enforcement and policies intended at cracking down on criminal behavior. Meanwhile, they have accused Democrats of not sufficiently supporting police and embracing criminal justice reform policies they argue are too lenient on offenders.

This rhetoric helped deliver them key victories during the 2022 midterms, particularly around New York City, despite otherwise disappointing results across the country. Republicans are widely expected to double down on this rhetoric during the 2024 elections.

However, Republican Senators voting to condemn Trump's comments could invoke the ire of the former president, who remains deeply popular in the Republican Party. GOP voters have largely rallied behind Trump amid his legal woes, and he still holds substantial sway over Republican voters. Most Republican lawmakers who went against Trump in recent years have either retired or lost primaries to his preferred candidates.

Ruth Bloch Rubin, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago, told Newsweek party leaders are holding these types of "messaging votes" more often, "particularly when engaging in substantive lawmaking is hard."

"By putting some (presumably not most) Senate Republicans in a tight spot, you train voters' focus on the opposition's internal difficulties and potentially, outlier preferences. And because a messaging vote doesn't have much policy content, you aren't forced to deal with differences of opinion in your own party," she wrote.

She added that these votes are a "win-win" because Democrats will not be forced to deal with significant differences of opinions in their own party.

Shapiro cast doubt that the vote will have a substantial impact in the long run but could be a "wake-up call" for Republicans to maintain their credibility on crime issues.

"They need to support law enforcement at all levels, and try to do that in a way that doesn't push back from the Trump base," he said.

Schumer, in his letter to Senators, highlighted the law enforcement work conducted by these two federal agencies.

"The good work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice sends criminals to prison for bank robbery, sex trafficking, child pornography, hate crimes, terrorism, fraud, and so much more," Schumer wrote. "The former President and his allies must not subjugate justice and public safety because of their own personal grievances."

He called on Senators "from across the political spectrum and of both political parties" to "denounce such attempts by the former President and his allies to degrade public trust in our federal law enforcement agencies."

Senator Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, responded to the bill, tweeting, "I will attempt to amend it by adding language that condemns something that actually happened, DOJ & FBI trying to infiltrate Catholic parishes & cultivate 'sources' inside Catholic Churches." He did not say how he would vote on the resolution.

Newsweek reached out to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's office for comment via email.