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WASHINGTON — Senator Chuck Schumer, the most influential Jewish voice in Congress, said Thursday night that he would oppose President Obama’s deal to limit Iran’s nuclear program. “Advocates on both sides have strong cases for their point of view that cannot simply be dismissed,” Mr. Schumer, Democrat of New York, said in a lengthy statement. “This has made evaluating the agreement a difficult and deliberate endeavor, and after deep study, careful thought and considerable soul-searching, I have decided I must oppose the agreement and will vote yes on a motion of disapproval.” Mr. Schumer had spent the last several weeks...

Charles Schumer was ready to discuss everything from gun control to drones during a press conference in his Midtown office Monday — except his position on the Iran nuclear deal. “This is such an important decision that I will not let pressure, politics or party influence [me],” Schumer said, holding fast to his weeks-long insistence that he’s still in the decision-making stage. ... “exploded” during a meeting last week with about 60 Jewish leaders.

The immigration plan proposed by the Gang of Eight would have dispensed more than 30 million green cards in its first ten years. A green card is an immigration document that authorizes immigrants to collect welfare and become voting citizens, among other things. In a recent but overlooked interview on MSNBC’s Up With Steve Kornacki, Sen. Schumer (D-NY) explained how he was personally responsible for “recruiting” Sen. Rubio to flood the U.S. labor markets: “I recruited Marco Rubio to be part of our group of eight being in the gym. [Democratic Senator] Dick Durbin was in the gym… and he...

Seth Mandel explains how President Hussein Obama is using (a willing) Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to drive a wedge in the US-Israel relationship. [N]othing Obama has done to damage Israel’s standing in Congress could compare to getting Chuck Schumer — the supposed shomer (guardian, in Hebrew) of Israel — to ensure the survival of a nuclear deal that rearranges America’s Mideast alliances by elevating Tehran at the expense of the Israelis, the Saudis, the Jordanians and the Egyptians, among others. And that’s why crowds in Times Square Wednesday night chanted “Where is Chuck Schumer?” As Schumer continues to avoid...

Sen. Chuck Schumer is famous for his ability to locate the nearest TV camera and plant himself squarely in front of the lens. And yet, as about 8,000 rallied in Manhattan Wednesday night on an issue near and dear to Schumer’s heart — Israel’s security — the senator was a no-show. The rally was in opposition to the Iranian nuclear deal. Schumer was absent because he hasn’t yet decided whether to do the right thing and oppose President Obama’s disastrous deal, or do the opposite of the right thing and shepherd it through Congress. Israel’s supporters in the United States...

the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act that Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) negotiated with Obama guarantees that the Republican Congress will give its stamp of approval to Obama’s nuclear agreement with Iran. Worse, it gives Democrats political cover by allowing them to vote against the Iran agreement without actually killing it – so they can say they opposed this disastrous deal without actually delivering an embarrassing defeat to their president. Instead of requiring that Congress vote to affirmatively approve the Obama-Iran agreement before it can take effect, Congressional Republicans agreed to move forward with a “resolution of disapproval” – which allows...

Sen. Chuck Schumer outlined a path Tuesday for Hillary Clinton to enact a carbon tax if the Democrats prevail in the 2016 elections. Schumer said that a Clinton presidency and the return of his party to the Senate majority in 2017 could pave the way for lawmakers to enact a carbon tax to help fund the government. The mere suggestion of a new fee on the emissions blamed for climate change, however, could become a political headache for Clinton and other Democrats, and it’s routinely dismissed by Republicans. Schumer also vowed that Democrats would successfully defend President Barack Obama’s landmark...

The White House on Tuesday expressed confidence it could win over enough Democrats in Congress to stymie an effort to allow lawmakers to approve any nuclear deal with Iran. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who will likely become the next Senate Democratic leader, dealt a blow to the White House on Monday when he reiterated support for congressional review of an Iran deal. The White House believes Congress should not have the final say on an agreement to curb Iran’s nuclear program. Officials are making a full-court press to convince Democrats to give negotiators at least until the June 30...

Republican operatives were wringing their hands with concern re the 2016 Senate races  before 2014's congressional victory was even secured- Senate Republicans will have to work hard to retain their recently won majority as they face a tough 2016 electoral map. They have 24 seats up compared to Democrats' 10, including seven in states President Obama carried twice. Democrats won't have any red-state senators facing reelection and could be buoyed by a favorable presidential-year electorate. Republicans do have some margin for error after their sweeping 2014 win netted them nine seats for a 54-seat Senate majority. Democrats won't have it easy...

Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, one of Capitol Hill’s most influential voices in the Iran nuclear debate, is strongly endorsing passage of a law opposed by President Barack Obama that would give Congress an avenue to reject the White House-brokered framework unveiled last week.

Lovers of vivid political language will miss Senate minority leader Harry Reid of Nevada, who announced his retirement last week. Senator Reid is infamous for his searing, pointed comments about conservatives – and his regular “walk-backs” of those outbursts. But the loquacious Senator Schumer, who is widely expected to succeed Reid as Democratic leader, has developed his own brand of bombast that relies less on Reid’s personal taunts and more on sweeping indictments of his opponents’ purported political sins. Schumer, who served 18 years in the House before joining the Senate in 1999, is fond of labeling Republicans “out of...

Chuck Schumer is set to get a big promotion -- and that's welcome news to Wall Street. The veteran Democratic senator from New York is widely expected to take Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid's job when he retires at the end of 2016. Reid, who announced he would not be running for reelection Friday morning, quickly endorsed his New York colleague for the role. Schumer's ascension to the top Democratic position in the Senate -- and even possibly to Senate majority leader if his party regains control of the chamber -- is a boon for the finance and business communities,...

Sen. Chuck Schumer says tea party members "hate immigrants," and blames congressional Republicans' fear of their hard-right members for preventing passage of a Senate immigration bill last year. (SNIP) "Why doesn't he? Because the tea party, these 80 to 100 folks from the hard right, none from New York, say they hate immigration, they hate immigrants.

In a speech on Senate floor last week, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer said Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King was controlling the party’s position on immigration and derailing immigration reform. (SNIP) Thursday, King responded to Schumer’s comment on the House floor saying it was Schumer not him who represented the fringe. Specifically King said Schumer represented “socialists, marxists, progressives, liberal Democrats.”

Harry Reid endorsed Chuck Schumer to succeed him as Senate minority leader after he retires in 2016. [Snip] Reid predicted Schumer, the third-ranking Democrat in Senate leadership, would win the post without opposition. He also suggested any competition — specifically Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois, with whom he spoke on the phone with Friday morning — should stand down. Reid called Schumer "extremely smart" in the interview, adding that he would bring a "different style" to Senate leadership compared with Reid's soft-spoken nature.

In response to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent remarks and reelection, a senior Obama administration official tells Politico that the United States may withdraw support of Israel at the United Nations. According to Politico's Michael Crowley, "the official wouldn’t rule out a modified American posture at the United Nations, where the U.S. has long fended off resolutions criticizing Israeli settlement activity and demanding its withdrawal from Palestinian territories." “We are signaling that if the Israeli government’s position is no longer to pursue a Palestinian state, we’re going to have to broaden the spectrum of options we pursue going forward,”...

Emboldened by winning the shutdown showdown over homeland security, and poised to triumph on raising the debt limit, Senate Democrats set their sights Thursday on the budget sequesters, demanding that Republicans hike taxes and raise spending. It was a shot across the bow for Republican budget writers, who are set to unveil their proposals next week, which are expected to further slash spending and balance the budget in 10 years — slowing the growth of runaway national debt that currently tops $18 trillion. Senate Democrats insisted that keeping the automatic spending cuts would jeopardize the economic recovery, hurt the middle...

The Talk Shows March 8th, 2015 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga. ; former Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark.MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.; Lewis.FACE THE NATION (CBS): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Tim Scott, R-S.C.; Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C.; Benjamin Crump, lawyer for the family of Michael Brown, the unarmed black 18-year-old shot to death by a white police officer in Ferguson.THIS WEEK (ABC): Mayor James Knowles of Ferguson, Missouri;...

Senate Democrats are pressuring Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to bring the attorney general nomination of Loretta Lynch to the floor, with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) telling reporters on a conference call that a “hard right Republican temper tantrum on immigration” was keeping her from assuming Eric Holder’s job. Lynch does have the support of some Republicans. Three GOPs including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) backed Lynch during last week’s Senate Judiciary Committee vote. “It’s time to turn the page on Eric Holder’s tenure as Attorney General. We need a fresh start in the position, and this is an opportunity for...

ALBANY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) — Sen. Charles Schumer is urging the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to make measles shots free and widely available, like the flu vaccine. Schumer, D-N.Y., made the recommendation Sunday, noting that the CDC says at least 102 people have contracted measles in 14 states, including New York and New Jersey, so far this year. There was a record number of cases last year — 644 in 27 states. “It’s clear that we need to get on top of this highly contagious disease before it becomes too big for us to control,” Schumer told reporters, including...