Schumer postpones book tour stop in Philly amid vote backlash

U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer isn’t coming to Philly this week after all, as he postponed an upcoming appearance that was part of a national book tour.

Schumer (D-N.Y.) planned to visit the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History on Thursday to promote his new book, “Antisemitism in America: A Warning,” alongside Philadelphia restaurateur and Israeli chef Michael Solomonov.

It was supposed to be one stop — along with New York, Washington, Baltimore, and other cities — on an East Coast swing. That is, until his vote to advance a Republican-sponsored spending bill sparked an uproar, and some calls to resign, among Democratic legislators and activists.

Those activists had begun organizing protests for several of Schumer’s events, including his appearance at the Weitzman. 

A note posted on Weitzman’s website on Monday afternoon said that a new date for Schumer’s visit would be announced soon, and that the museum would honor previously purchased tickets for that event. A spokesperson for Schumer said in a statement that all stops on the tour had been postponed due to “security concerns.” 

The Weitzman museum and Solomonov did not respond to requests for comment.

The postponement comes amid an uproar across large parts of the Democratic party over Schumer’s leading role in the passage of a Republican-led bill to fund the government through Sept. 30 and avert a government shutdown. Dozens of Democrats in the U.S. House urged their Senate colleagues to vote against the bill, warning that it would embolden Trump and Elon Musk’s slashing of federal agencies and pursuit of a far-right conservative agenda. Many also supported the party taking a bold move, like shutting down the government, to draw attention to the impact of Trump and Musk’s actions.

But Schumer announced last Thursday that he would support the legislation, which is known as a continuing resolution. He was ultimately joined by nine other Democrats in the Senate, allowing the bill to pass 54-46 — meeting the threshold necessary for it to advance to Trump’s desk. House Democrats previously voted in near unanimity against the bill.

Both Pennsylvania senators, Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Dave McCormick, supported the stopgap funding bill. But Schumer’s apparent about-face drew criticism from other state officials — including Gov. Josh Shapiro. In an appearance Friday on HBO’s “Real Time With Bill Maher,” Shapiro said he would have preferred to see Schumer use “leverage” with Republicans in order to deliver for “the folks who are worried now” about Trump’s actions. 

In an interview with The New York Times this weekend, Schumer portrayed his choice as the result of a “very difficult decision” between a Republican-drafted funding bill and a shutdown that would have emboldened Musk and Trump to wrestle further control of crucial federal government services like food stamps, Social Security and Medicare.

“The shutdown of the government would just be devastating and far worse than the Republican C.R.,” he said. 

Fetterman said Democrats furious with Schumer had shown up to “every knife fight with a casserole” — and that those in favor of a shutdown were supporting giving Musk and Trump “unlimited time” to put their imprint on the federal government.

“Yelling on social media isn’t leadership,” he told CNN on Friday.

In his book, Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in U.S. history, traces his personal experience with antisemitism to the rise in antisemitic attacks since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel. His scheduled discussion with Solomonov comes after the chef’s Philadelphia restaurant Goldie became the target of protests.