Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said this week he would be willing to use the looming government shutdown deadline as leverage to force President Trump to end the war in Iran, as he launched a challenge against Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for the top Senate Democratic leadership post.
Congress faces a Dec. 11 deadline to fund the government. In an interview on MS NOW, host Jen Psaki asked Van Hollen whether Trump could effectively be “forced” to end the war since Congress cannot do so unilaterally.
“The president would be given a choice, right? Does he say to the American people that ‘I’m going to shut down the United States government? Am I going to shut down all the agencies of the U.S. government to keep the illegal war in Iran going and to keep prices high,’ when we could do it now?” Van Hollen said.
Van Hollen argued Democrats should not wait until January, when they would hold more leverage, to act.
“We shouldn’t say we’re going to wait until January when we have the power to do it on Dec. 11,” he said. “This should not be a finger in the wind issue. This should not be sort of frittering around. This should not be a question of timidity. We need to answer the call of the American people, end the war, bring down prices, do it now. Not a penny, not a penny to fuel this war.”
He added that Trump could choose instead to “completely ignore” the public’s wishes and let the government shut down.
A Challenge to Schumer
Van Hollen announced Thursday that he intends to challenge Schumer, 75, for the Senate Majority Leader position after Democrats regained control of the chamber. Van Hollen, 67, has served in Congress for 23 years, moving from the House to the Senate in 2017. Schumer has served in Congress since 1981.
“In this election, the American people called for change,” Van Hollen said in a statement announcing his bid. “They called for a change from Donald Trump’s disastrous policies — but even bigger than that, a change from the status quo that isn’t working for working people. It’s now on us to meet this moment, and to do that we need new leadership. This is not about any one person – it’s about answering the call of the American people. That is why I’m running for Senate Majority Leader.”
Van Hollen also criticized Schumer for backing moderate candidates in Democratic primaries. Asked what he would prioritize in his first 100 days as leader, he pointed to restoring Medicaid funding, extending Affordable Care Act tax credits, and restoring food and nutrition programs.
His challenge comes amid broader unrest within Senate Democratic ranks. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., a longtime Schumer ally, and Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., both said this week they would not back Schumer for leader. Senators-elect Adam Hamilton of Kansas, Peggy Flanagan and Abdul El-Sayed have also publicly said they will not support Schumer.
Neither Schumer’s office nor the White House responded to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.
Republican Reaction
Liz Mair, a Republican strategist who heads Mair Strategies, told Fox News Digital the shutdown strategy could work for Democrats legislatively but questioned the political cost.
“If you do want to force the Pentagon’s hand, this is the easiest way to do it, legislatively, right?” Mair said. “I think the question is how much reputational downside is there for Democrats?”
Mair also questioned whether progressives’ confidence in Van Hollen as a potential leader was well placed, raising doubts about whether he could execute the strategy.
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