Chuck Schumer's 99 problems - POLITICO

Chuck Schumer has finally realized his dream of becoming majority leader.

Schumer is facing down a hard-nosed Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is refusing to cut a deal to govern the 50-50 Senate without a commitment to protecting the filibuster.

Schumer has had little time to prepare: Democrats didn’t win the majority until the Georgia runoffs in January.

Schumer is battle-tested from overseeing a generally united minority during the Trump years, though maintaining unity as majority leader is always more challenging.

“Chuck Schumer will continue to refuse to allow the minority to dictate how the majority is going to operate,” said Sen.

Meanwhile, the pressure on Schumer from the left to scrap the filibuster is only increasing as Republicans dig in for big policy fights with the new Democratic majority.

Senate Republicans say Schumer is facing an early squeeze between the bipartisan bromides of Biden and the voices in his own party pushing him to run over Republicans as quickly as possible.

“I understand, too, the political pressure that President Biden and Schumer have with the progressives and looking at getting primaried by AOC.”.

But even if Schumer wanted to get rid of the filibuster, he’d have to overcome objections from moderates and possibly Biden himself.

Democrats say that they have no illusions about McConnell

“We have a feeling that he does have a good personal relationship with Biden that’s going to be helpful,” said Sen

Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who shrugged off McConnell’s attempt to influence Schumer in his early days as majority leader

The fact that McConnell asked for a longer delay on the trial as well as concessions on how to run the Senate smacks to some Democrats as McConnell still trying to be majority leader, even though now it’s Schumer’s time

Just as Schumer's adjusting to leading the majority, Democrats say it may take some time for McConnell to take his hands off the wheel

“I know it’s hard for him to settle into his new role, but you can’t be the majority leader if you’re the minority leader,” said Sen