A senior staffer who has been with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for decades is leaving, Axios reported. Legislative director Meghan Taira is expected to depart next month while his party is in turmoil.
Schumer has already tapped Dylan Laslovich, who was Montana Democratic Sen. John Tester’s chief of staff, to replace her. Taira’s exit has been planned for months, but the timing couldn't be worse for Schumer.
Last week, he became unpopular within his party for working with Republicans to prevent a government shutdown. This week, “safety concerns” caused him to cancel his book tour.
Scoop: Chuck Schumer's longtime legislative director will depart his office next month, Axios has learned.
Meghan Taira has been with Schumer for nearly 20 years, and the departure has been planned for a while, I am told. She will be replaced by Jon Tester's former Chief of…
— Stephen Neukam (@stephen_neukam) March 17, 2025
According to the New York Times, Schumer was instrumental in allowing a GOP continuing resolution to pass. He and nine other Democrats were enough for the legislation to advance to the president’s desk, where it was signed.
This angered Democrats who felt that he was obligated to oppose President Donald Trump even with a looming government shutdown. It was a complete turnaround on previous refusals, but he claimed he had no choice because of Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
“A shutdown would shut down all government agencies, and it would solely be up to Trump and DOGE and Musk what to open again, because they could determine what was essential. So their goal of decimating the whole federal government, of cutting agency after agency after agency, would occur under a shutdown,” he told the Times Wednesday.
Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) was one of the many voices decrying Schumer’s move. She claimed he “sent out mixed signals” about their collective opposition to Trump’s cost-cutting agenda.
“People are scared, and they want us to do something. They want to see Democrats fighting back,” Dingell said, echoing the sentiments of many Democratic lawmakers.
Even before Schumer helped Republicans, it was clear that Democrats were in trouble with their base. According to CNN, a poll by SSRS between March 6 and 9 revealed record-low approval ratings for the Democratic Party.
"Among the American public overall, the Democratic Party’s favorability rating stands at just 29% – a record low in CNN’s polling dating back to 1992 and a drop of 20 points since January 2021, when Trump exited his first term under the shadow of the January 6 attack at on Capitol." The news outlet claimed the GOP's rating was at 36%.
These numbers come after Trump won another term in the White House despite all of the attacks networks like CNN leveled at him, not to mention the lawfare from his enemies in political positions. Not only did he win, he won big.
"This is a historic political realignment," Republican political strategist Ryan Williams said, according to Fox News. "He just expanded the party in a way that no other nominee has been able to do before. And I think that’s why the polling missed this because he so radically changed the composition of the electorate," Williams added.
Democrats seem to be falling apart as Republicans are on the ascendancy. Amid all of that turmoil, Schumer is also losing his top aide, which doesn't bode well for the politician who should be the head of the Democratic Party's opposition.
