Sen. Tim Kaine defends Schumer, says House Democrats 'should focus on their own leadership'

Sen. Tim Kaine defended Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, urging House Democrats to stick to their chamber rather than focus on the party's Senate leadership.

WASHINGTON — Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., defended Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in an exclusive interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” urging House Democrats to stick to their chamber rather than focus on the party’s Senate leadership.

“I don’t tell Ro Khanna or AOC or anybody else who you should pick as your House leader, because I got a full-time job being a senator,” Kaine said Sunday, referring to Reps. Ro Khanna of California and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez during a rally in Denver on March 21.Chet Strange / Getty Images file“I don’t need to freelance opinions about House leadership,” Kaine said. “They should focus on their own leadership and let senators do what we need to do to keep this country moving forward.”

After a handful of Democrats sided with Republicans on a funding bill to reopen the government, Khanna said in a post to X that he believed Schumer “is no longer effective and should be replaced.” Ocasio-Cortez has said that the “problem” was bigger than Schumer, but in an interview with Politico last week, she said, “It is Senate Democrats that select their leadership.”

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., on NBC News' "Meet the Press" on Sunday.NBC NewsIn a separate interview on “Meet the Press,” Khanna argued that Schumer “doesn’t inspire confidence. He’s not bold. He’s out of touch with the grassroots.”