News that the Mexican Navy’s tall ship Cuauhtémoc crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge late Saturday night came as a shock. How could the captain of a vessel with a 147-foot main mast believe it could safely pass beneath a bridge with just 135 feet of clearance at its center?
The following day, reports indicated that a mechanical failure had caused the ship to lose steering control, leaving it vulnerable to the East River’s strong currents, which pushed it toward the bridge.
Predictably, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) suggested that President Donald Trump might be to blame for the incident. In a Sunday afternoon post on X, the senator said he was “fighting for answers about whether Trump and DOGE have impacted water traffic control.”
We know they’ve been meddling with U.S. Coast Guard staffing.Trump relieved Admiral Linda Fagan as Commandant of the USCG, and that position is still vacant.And the hiring freeze has limited the ability for the USCG to staff up the Vehicle Traffic Service, that’s their traffic control operation that acts like Air Traffic Control but on water.We need action for our national security, infrastructure protection, and public safety.
Schumer’s baseless allegations didn’t go over well. Here are a couple of reactions to his disingenuous post:
Worse still, Senate Democrats issued a press release titled, “Following Brooklyn Bridge Strike, Leader Schumer: Trump Administration Must Answer For Meddling With U.S. Count Guard Staffing; Leader Demands Investigation Into Potential DOGE Impacts On Vessel Traffic Control & Entire USCG Operation To Protect All Bridges & Waterways Across Country.”
Yes, that really is the title.
The absurd summary that followed sounded more like satire than a serious news release from a U.S. senator. Worse still, it was published after Schumer had been “fully briefed” by authorities on the accident.
At any rate, the Department of Homeland Security promptly corrected the record, leaving Schumer — who rarely misses an opportunity to take a swing at Trump — looking like an idiot.
In the X post below, DHS calls Schumer’s accusations “FALSE.” In fact, the post claims that the U.S. Coast Guard has been “exempt from hiring freezes.”
The Coast Guard also responded to Schumer’s misguided accusations in a Sunday press release. It said, “Sector New York immediately launched a crew from Coast Guard Station New York to the scene and established a safety zone from the Brooklyn Bridge to the Manhattan Bridge. New York Vessel Traffic Services suspended commercial traffic in the area.”
In other words, they did precisely what they were supposed to do.
The problem with Schumer is his desperation to win back support from constituents, which took a sharp hit after his March vote in favor of the GOP-led spending bill to avert a government shutdown. His favorability among New York Democrats has since fallen to record lows, fueling speculation that he could face a serious primary challenge from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)—assuming she doesn’t pursue a presidential bid instead.
Last month, CNN data analyst Harry Enten highlighted a Siena College poll showing Schumer’s favorability among New York Democrats had plunged to just 52% — a stunning 21-point drop since December. A very fired-up Enten called the results “almost unfathomable.”
“They simply don’t like the job he is doing as Senate [minority] leader,” Enten said, citing a new Marist University survey that asked New York Democrats whether Schumer should keep his leadership role. Fifty percent said yes, while 48% said no.
“This screams — sirens should be going off — primary challenge, primary challenge, primary challenge!”
Additionally, Schumer has come under fire for refusing to answer questions about what he may have known regarding former President Joe Biden’s declining cognitive abilities.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on LinkedIn or X.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY