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Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., floated using a government shutdown to get President Donald Trump to end the war in Iran during an interview on Thursday, after announcing he would challenge Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for the incoming Majority Leader position.
Van Hollen was asked multiple times during an MS NOW interview how he would be different from Schumer as leader. The senator pointed to ending the war in Iran.
“Well, the difference is, I believe we need to be firm,” he said. “I think that we heard loud and clear from the American people that they want to end the war in Iran and bring down prices. We shouldn’t say we’re going to wait until January when we have the power to do it on Dec. 11. And so, this should not be a finger in the wind issue. This should not be sort of frittering around. This should not be a question of timidity. We need to answer the call of the American people, end the war, bring down prices, do it now. Not a penny, not a penny to fuel this war.”
Congress will need to fund the government by Dec. 11 to avoid a shutdown. MS NOW’s Jen Psaki asked Van Hollen if Trump would be “forced” to end the war because Congress couldn’t do it unilaterally.
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Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, is hoping to be the next Senate Majority Leader. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“The president would be given a choice, right? Does he say to the American people that ‘I’m going to shut down the United States government? Am I going to shut down all the agencies of the U.S. government to keep the illegal war in Iran going and to keep prices high,’ when we could do it now?” Van Hollen said.
He said Trump could choose to “completely ignore” the will of the American people and shut down the government.
Schumer’s office did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment. The White House also did not return a request for comment.
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Van Hollen announced Thursday he would challenge Schumer for the Majority Leader position after Democrats won back the chamber in the 2026 midterms.
“In this election, the American people called for change,” Van Hollen said in a statement. “They called for a change from Donald Trump’s disastrous policies — but even bigger than that, a change from the status quo that isn’t working for working people.”
Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen reacts while speaking to Secretary of State Marco Rubio as he testifies at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on May 20, 2025. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
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“It’s now on us to meet this moment, and to do that we need new leadership,” he continued. “This is not about any one person – it’s about answering the call of the American people. That is why I’m running for Senate Majority Leader.”
Van Hollen, 67, has served in Congress for 23 years, beginning his career in the House before moving to the Senate in 2017. Schumer, 75, has been in Congress since 1981.
Liz Mair, a Republican strategist and head of Mair Strategies, told Fox News Digital in a statement, that the shutdown position could be an “effective strategy” for the Democrats.
“If you do want to force the Pentagon’s hand, this is the easiest way to do it, legislatively, right?” she said. “I think the question is how much reputational downside is there for Democrats?”
“Progressives seem to put in quite a lot of confidence in Chris Van Hollen as a prospective leader. And I just wonder whether that’s wise on their part,” she added, questioning if Van Hollen could execute it.
Chuck Schumer already has several incoming senators who are against him being Majority Leader in the new Congress. (Anadolu via Getty Images)
Van Hollen’s decision to challenge Schumer comes as several members of the Senate have said they won’t support the latter.
Longtime allies such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and newer members such as Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., declared this week that they would not back Schumer for leader.
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Several senators-elect who rode the blue wave to Washington, D.C., have publicly said they will not support Schumer for leader. Senators-elect Adam Hamilton, Kan., Peggy Flanagan, and Abdul El-Sayed have all publicly rejected the longtime New York senator as the Democratic leader.
Van Hollen said he would prioritize restoring Medicaid funding, extending the Affordable Care Act’s tax credits, and restoring food and nutrition programs when asked about what he would do in his first 100 days as leader.
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Van Hollen also criticized Schumer for endorsing moderate candidates in Democratic primaries.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks during a press conference at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee headquarters on Nov. 4, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Tom Brenner/Getty Images)
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