Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is standing firm against calls for him to step down, despite criticism from some House Democrats and liberal advocates over his role in passing a Republican-backed funding bill.

“Look, I’m not stepping down,” Schumer said in a pre-recorded interview that aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Schumer acknowledged that his decision to vote in favor of the GOP’s six-month funding bill was controversial, but he argued that a government shutdown would have been far worse.

“Under a shutdown, the executive branch has sole power to determine what is ‘essential.’ And they can determine without any court supervision,” he said, warning that the Trump administration “would eviscerate the federal government.”

Despite the backlash, Schumer remains the Senate Democratic leader, and no Democratic senator has publicly called for him to resign. However, some have hinted at a potential leadership shake-up in the future. Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) recently told a constituent that discussions about Democratic leadership will happen.

Meanwhile, some progressive House members are eyeing a challenge to Schumer in 2028. NBC News has reported that some Democrats hope Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) will launch a primary bid against him. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) acknowledged the growing support for such a move, saying, “The American people are fed up with the old guard. There needs to be a renewal.”

Schumer dismissed the idea that he had made a mistake similar to former President Joe Biden’s refusal to step aside as the 2024 Democratic nominee.

“No, absolutely not. I did this out of conviction,” he said, adding that his caucus remains united in opposing Trump.

Schumer also defended his decision to help pass the funding bill, pushing back against criticism from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who suggested Senate Democrats got nothing in return for their votes.

“What we got, at the end of the day, is avoiding the horror of a shutdown,” Schumer said.

Turning to broader political issues, Schumer accused President Donald Trump of pushing the U.S. into a constitutional crisis by defying court orders and attacking the judiciary.

“If he defies the Supreme Court, then we are in uncharted territory that we haven’t been in for a very long time,” Schumer said. “Democrats will fight it in every single way.”

Schumer also promoted his new book, Antisemitism in America: A Warning, where he warns about rising antisemitism from both the far right and parts of the left.

“I aimed it at both the hard right … but also at the hard left,” he said. “I believe the best antidote to antisemitism is education.”