Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer abruptly fled the Senate floor on Sunday after freshman Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) cornered him on the Democrats’ absurd Obamacare subsidy proposal to reopen the government—exposing that the plan would funnel taxpayer dollars to millionaires through insurance companies, while Democrats refuse to put anything in writing.
The exchange began when Moreno pressed Schumer on whether Democrats had produced an actual written proposal extending the controversial COVID emergency Obamacare subsidies. Schumer quickly became defensive as Moreno’s questions intensified.
When asked directly if a proposal existed that senators could read, Schumer dodged: “There is a proposal that is very simple. First, you haven’t put your proposed ACA… your proposed, um, fix to the ACA, the new one which Leader Thune has spoken about on the floor, so we can’t give you a counter in writing.”
He claimed the Democratic plan consisted of merely “two sentences” that would extend ACA benefits for one year—though no such written document has materialized for review.
Moreno then zeroed in on the absurdity at the heart of the Democratic proposal: “Would it does still have, uh, no income caps? So people who make a million, two, three million dollars a year—”
Schumer interrupted, insisting Republicans should first pass the one-year extension, then negotiate details afterward—a political maneuver that would lock in benefits for wealthy Americans while promising future reforms that may never come, all while setting up another shutdown battle just in time for the midterm elections.
Related: Republicans Must Hold the Line
“The leader has said he won’t negotiate before. We’re willing to negotiate once the credits are extended, plain and simple,” Schumer said, effectively admitting Democrats want to pass their handout first and talk about responsible limits later.
When Moreno pressed again on millionaires receiving COVID-era subsidies, Schumer resorted to class warfare rhetoric rather than answering the question. “You want to hurt people making 10,000, 50,000, 90,000 and hold this up?” he protested, ignoring that his own proposal included no income restrictions whatsoever.
As Moreno continued the questioning, Schumer threw out a final accusation—”I know that the senator from Ohio cares about the billionaires. We care about average working people”—then yielded the floor and walked out. Just left. Unable to come up with a good answer while Democrats wanted to give all sorts of money for millionaires, he just ran away like a coward.
WATCH: @SenSchumer abruptly walks off the floor as he was being questioned by Sen. @BernieMoreno about his proposal to end the shutdown.
Moreno asked Schumer if his proposal was in writing that people could look at.. and if people making millions would still receive the… pic.twitter.com/aRxzdYV5Fx
— Amber Jo Cooper (@AmberJoCooper) November 8, 2025
Moreno wasn’t finished. With Schumer gone, he laid out exactly what Americans had just witnessed: Democrats acknowledged they haven’t produced a written proposal, admitted their plan would send subsidies to millionaires with no income caps, and refused to address rampant fraud in the zero-premium program.
“If he had stayed, I would have asked him a third question. Does he want these monies to go directly to insurance companies?” Moreno continued.
But the most damning revelation came in Moreno’s closing remarks. “This money does not go to people on Obamacare. This is a check written from the federal government to the wealthiest insurance companies on the planet,” he explained, exposing the true beneficiaries of the Democratic scheme.
“He wants no income caps, millionaires getting COVID subsidies, he wants $0 premiums that are filled with fraud, and he wants to enrich insurance companies even more,” Moreno summarized.
Schumer’s hasty retreat spoke volumes—when confronted with the indefensible details of his own proposal, he simply left rather than defend shipping taxpayer money to millionaires and insurance giants.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown has now been dragging on over a month. Democrats aren’t negotiating in good faith, and seem determined to hold the country hostage while blaming the GOP.
Help us expose the truth—sign up with promo code POTUS47 for 74% off your VIP membership. This deal ends when the Schumer Shutdown is over, so take advantage now!
