Amid calls for him to step down as Senate Minority Leader, Sen. Chuck Schumer said he would not and defended his decision to support the continuing resolution to fund the government.

“The CR was certainly bad, you know, the continuing resolution. But a shutdown would be 15 or 20 times worse,” Schumer told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “Under a shutdown, the Executive Branch has sole power to determine what is, quote, “essential.” And they can determine without any court supervision. The courts have ruled it’s solely up to the executive what to shut down. With Musk, and DOGE, and Trump, and this guy [Office of Management and Budget Director Russell] Vought, as the head of OMB, they would eviscerate the federal government.”

In an interview with co-anchor Jonathan Karl on ABC News’ “This Week,” independent Sen. Bernie Sanders said he’s been disappointed with Democrats’ response to Trump’s second term. But he said the issue goes beyond Schumer.

“There’s been nobody more critical of Chuck Schumer than I have been, and not just on this thing. But the bottom line is not just Chuck Schumer, it’s not just Chuck Schumer. It is, you got a Democratic Party in general that is dominated by billionaires, just as the Republican Party is that is operates under the leadership of a bunch of inside developments, very well paid, who are way out of touch with the 32,000 people who are here today,” he said from Denver at a stop on his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour on Saturday.

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna would not say if he would encourage Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to challenge Schumer for reelection in three years, but said there are others in the party who have to encourage her to do so.

“Well, that’s really her decision. I will say that there were a lot of people at the Democratic retreat who had encouraged her,” Khanna said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “But here’s what I will say: the American people are fed up with the old guard. There needs to be a renewal. You know, in Silicon Valley, when a company isn’t doing well, you don’t keep the same team, and I think there’s going to be a new generation in this country. They want to see a more compelling economic message.”

-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie