The following is a transcript of an interview with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, on “Face the Nation” that aired on July 28, 2024.
ROBERT COSTA: We now turn to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Senator, good morning.
SENATOR CHUCK SCHUMER: Good morning, welcome.
ROBERT COSTA: Senator, what is your response to the latest attack on the Golan Heights?
MON. SCHUMER: Look, first we know that Iran, through its proxies, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, is really bad in this region. And Israel has as much right to defend itself against Hezbollah as it does against Hamas. It kind of – shows you how bad Iran and its surrogates are. These are the Arab children who were shot out. They don’t send missiles and they don’t care who they are. However, I don’t think anyone wants to fight more. So I hope there is a move to de-escalate.
ROBERT COSTA: Stay with the Middle East, Senator, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, just in Washington. You are part of an official bipartisan invitation for him to come to Washington. But there’s a video of you not shaking hands when he’s on the floor on Capitol Hill. Why not? Why don’t you shake hands?
MON. SCHUMER: Look, you know, I went to this speech because the relationship between Israel and America is iron and I want to show that. But at the same time, as everyone knows, I do not agree with the way Benjamin Netanyahu is carrying out these policies.
ROBERT COSTA: Your colleague and friend, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, tweeted this week, she said: “Benjamin Netanyahu’s presentation in the House chamber was the worst presentation of a foreign official invited and honored with that privilege in American history.” Do you agree with her assessment? And do you have any regrets at all–
MON. SHUMER: –Look–
ROBERT COSTA: –The invitation?
MON. SCHUMER: Look, no, as I said, I want you to show our ironclad commitment to Israel that goes beyond the prime minister, or the president, even if you don’t agree with the prime minister.
ROBERT COSTA: Senator, on July 13th, you went to Delaware to meet with President Biden. This is a private discussion and I know you want to have a private discussion with the President. But for history it is a very important meeting because you are the leader of the Senate Democrats, the meeting of the Majority Leader with the President to discuss the presidential race. For the record, for the record, did you, in any way, advise the President that he should leave the presidential race on July 13?
MON. SCHUMER: Well, first, let’s look at President Biden’s record. He had one of the best presidents in decades, passing a lot of good things: the infrastructure bill, the IRA bill, lowering prescription drug prices for the first time, fighting the NRA successfully, helping our veterans. with a burning bike. So he has an incredibly successful record. And he always did what was right for America. And I respect him, I respect his patriotism, I respect the incredible things he did. We can be together in many people.
ROBERT COSTA: But just for history, did you – what was your role, what was your purpose in meeting with him on July 13th? Because few of Biden’s allies feel heard about this whole process. I was just sitting down the other day with Senator Chris Coons, your colleague, and he said that a lot of people feel hurt, angry about all of this and you went to him and gave him your opinion based on our report. . So what happened there? What was your role, if any, in recommending that he leave or stay?
MON. SCHUMER: Like I said, well, I’m not going to get into the specifics. But he can – President Biden will walk away from the presidency with his head held high, because of all the good things he’s done and because he put America first.
ROBERT COSTA: Vice President Harris, now the presumptive nominee. Senator, are you encouraging Senate Democrats, including those in war-torn states, to invite them to campaign with you so that they are in your ads?
MON. SCHUMER: Well, the Biden-Harris record is incredible, like I said, all the special things that they’ve done – that they’ve done together with us. So that’s an incredible record, and our senators have talked about it. They’re, you know, cutting new ribbons and bridges, they’re bringing rural broadband, they’re bringing rural broadband, they’re opening new factories of chip fabs. So, that’s a good, good record, and it helps the Senate candidates to do that. And I’ll just say one thing, just compare it to the Republican record with the Trump-Vance ticket. Really extreme, this Project 2025 shows that it will eliminate the rights of women. It will take away the rights of working people and only help the rich, it will be a threat to our democracy. And one more thing about this, and that is the addition of JD Vance to this ticket. It’s an incredibly bad choice. I’m Donald Trump, I know him, and he probably sits and watches TV, and every day, Vance, out Vance has done something more extreme, more strange, more erratic. Vance appears to be more erratic and more extreme than President Trump. And I’ll bet President Trump is sitting there scratching his head and thinking, why did I vote for this guy? That choice could be one of the best things he’s done for Democrats.
ROBERT COSTA: What do you mean–
MON. SCHUMER: –Now the President has about 10 days- 10 days before the Ohio ballot is locked. And he has a choice: whether he keeps Vance on the ticket, where he – he probably- he already has a lot. of baggage, which will probably be more baggage over the week because we will hear more about him, or he pick someone new? What are the options?
ROBERT COSTA: So Democrats are focused on Senator Vance, your colleague in the chamber, but Republicans seem to be focusing a lot on border policy and Vice President Harris. What’s your advice on how he should handle it if Republicans say they don’t know about immigration, about border policy? What is the answer to define him on the problem? It will be raised again and again –
MON. SHUMER: –The answer–
ROBERT COSTA: –Campaign?
MON. SCHUMER: The answer is very simple. And it is the Democrats, along with the Biden Harris administration, who are putting together the toughest border policies that will stop the flow from the border for so long. In fact, it was initially supported by Republicans. So many prominent Republicans are saying, “this is tough, all of us.” And then all of a sudden, President Trump said, he said clearly. He said: “I don’t want them to solve the problem, I want chaos at the border to be done by election.” We like to say. And case after case, when we talk about it, the voters side with us, not their policies. We are willing to fix the border. Trump and his Republican minions are saying, don’t fix it, we want chaos for political purposes. Who do you think will win the argument?
ROBERT COSTA: Did Vice President Harris contact you about the vice presidential election? And do you have a leading contender or two that you believe will be helpful? And Senator Kelly, your colleague, is one of the contenders that has been reported. Are you confident that if it is on the ticket, you can continue in the seat that in a few years in the special?
MON. SCHUMER: Well, I’m telling you, I’m very confident that Vice President Harris will pick the best ticket and the best vice presidential candidate. We have a lot – we have a very strong bench. There are many good options. I have confidence in her choice.
ROBERT COSTA: Are you worried about the Senate majority? That’s a narrow majority for you now. What is your honest assessment of the Senate majority and the likely Democrats?
MON. SCHUMER: My honest assessment is that not only will we win the Senate, but we have a good chance of picking up a seat or two. Our candidates, our senators, are running on a record of accomplishments. And that is why they are ahead of the national ticket. Because when they show all the good things they bring to their country, through the infrastructure bill, through the Chips and Science Bill, a lot of good new manufacturing jobs, by bringing broadband to rural areas for the first time, where rural areas are. much needed. You know, Franklin Roosevelt said in the 1930s, electricity is a necessity and bring it to the people. We do the same thing with a wide band, which in the 21st century is a necessity–
ROBERT COSTA: –Speaking of technology–
MON. SCHUMER: –We’ve got a good record to go on and it’s going to be- it’s going to be- it’s going to keep us- it’s going to keep us in the majority.
ROBERT COSTA: Stick with technology for a second. You have raised national security concerns about TikTok. Do you support the Harris campaign using TikTok to promote his candidacy?
MON. SCHUMER: Look, I’m not going to know how to campaign. I’m talking about the message they have and should be passed on at any cost. We voted to ban TikTok and in less than a year, the law will go into effect.
ROBERT COSTA: And finally here, Senator, President Biden this week will push the Supreme Court to reform the Supreme Court. Is it really possible, is it realistic? Give us a real view of what can happen this year in a- in a bipartisan way.
MON. SCHUMER: Well, first, let’s start. The Supreme Court is a morass. First, it is an ethical moral. The idea that rich people, many of them right-wing, could have money for cases before the Court and at the same time, give gifts or travel to the judges is appalling. And frankly, Chief Justice Roberts didn’t do enough to prevent it. But it’s a morass and even worse way is MAGA, the right-wing Court. It has been taken directly, the right to choose, it may very well go further in, I’m afraid it will. It sides with the richest individuals and powerful interests over the average working family. And it even threatens democracy when it says that the president can get immunity even for certain actions in the presidency. So this Court- is just a morass, ethically and substantively. And I think we’re going to look at all the different proposals and see what we need to do.
ROBERT COSTA: And just quickly here, Senator, there’s a lot on the horizon for you. You have the possibility of dying this fall, the debt limit at the end of this year. Are you joining or ready to join Speaker Johnson in the house to address this serious issue?
MON. SCHUMER: Well, we’re ready to get involved, you have to do these things in a bipartisan way. And we keep reminding Speaker Johnson that the right-wing MAGA group in his party, who want standards, who want to shut down the government, are so ideologically driven about these things that they’re going to destroy tens of millions of American families. and sometimes Speaker Johnson sides with them, sometimes not. He sided with them very much.
ROBERT COSTA: A lot on your plate. Thank you, Senator Schumer. We appreciate your time and Face the Nation will be back in one minute. Stay with us.