Schumer to McConnell: Taste Your Own Medicine

Image by Getty Images

By Josh Nathan-Kazis January 9, 2017

Chuck Schumer, the new leader of the Senate Democrats, wants the Republicans to ease up on their aggressive calendar for confirming Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees. To make his point, he’s sending the Senate Republicans a letter that might look a bit familiar.

This afternoon, Schumer posted on Twitter a letter that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell sent him in 2009, shortly after Barack Obama’s inauguration, asking that his nominees undergo a rigorous vetting process before the Senate votes to approve them.

Schumer, using a black marker, had updated the letter a bit.

Our requests are eminently reasonable, shared by leaders of both parties. I’ll return this letter to @SenateMajLdr with the same requests. pic.twitter.com/IMT7ZtJFjV

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) January 9, 2017

The snarky Tweet came a day after protesters gathered outside Schumer’s Brooklyn apartment building, calling on him to “resist” Trump.

Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at nathankazis@forward.com

Josh Nathan-Kazis is a staff writer for the Forward. He covers charities and politics, and writes investigations and longform.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO