Adam Kinzinger blasts the so-called ‘opposition party’ as Democrats bow down to Trump

If you’re not already familiar with former Illinois Representative Adam Kinzinger, chances are you will be soon. He’s increasingly emerging as a chief critic of Donald Trump‘s second administration, but he doesn’t restrict his feedback to just the man in charge.

Nor does he exclusively target Republicans. While Kinzinger is certainly critical of the party he represented between 2011 and 2023, he’s keeping a close eye on things happening across political aisles, and he doesn’t like what he sees. Like most of the world, the 47-year-old is exceedingly concerned about the dangerous policies pursued by the Trump team, but he also recognizes that they can’t be reasoned with. It’s too late to create sanity in that swampy cesspool, but it’s not too late to smack some sense into Congressional Democrats.

Kinzinger has been hard at work doing exactly that, but — despite his frequent efforts — it doesn’t seem to be paying off. The former Representative has been urging his former colleagues to fight back, to avoid any responsibility for a potential government shutdown, and to steel their spines against continued attacks from the executive, but more often than not his words are falling on deaf ears.

The deaf ears of some of the party’s most powerful members, no less. It would be one thing if a fresh-faced Senator was hesitant to risk their career over a MAGA showdown, but we should all expect better of Chuck Schumer. The man is 900 years old, he’s been in politics for at least 800 of those years, and he’s led his peers as either minority or majority leader for a good half a decade. He is arguably the head of the Democratic Party right now, but he’s not showing a single ounce of leadership.

That’s left to the likes of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jasmine Crockett: Actually vocal, spirited members of our Congress. Schumer, meanwhile, is too busy bowing down to Trump, without an ounce of pushback, to join them on the battlefield. Kinzinger lashed out at the 74-year-old in a scathing tweet, dragging him for spinelessly “defacto supporting the CR.”

Kinzinger has been urging Democrats against supporting the continuing resolution — which will keep the government funded for the next fiscal period — for weeks. It’s essentially the only leverage Democrats have, since they don’t control any body of government, and Kinzinger was adamant that they force Republicans to take responsibility for its failure. With Schumer’s spineless decision to support the CR, any Democrat who now goes against it will be saddled with responsibility for the shutdown, exactly as Kinzinger feared.

In a pair of exasperated posts to social media, Kinzinger blasted both Schumer and California Governor Gavin Newsom, the former over his CR announcement and the latter for courting election denier and all-around donkey Steve Bannon.

So let me get this straight, @GavinNewsom desperate to platform MAGA, @chuckschumer is defacto supporting the CR.

What’s the point of an opposition party again?

— Adam Kinzinger (Slava Ukraini) 🇺🇸🇺🇦🇮🇱 (@AdamKinzinger) March 13, 2025

That tweet came just a few minutes after Kinzinger informed “Democrats saying ‘we can’t let the govt shut down'” that they’ve “already lost.”

“Republicans control everything,” he reminded Democrats, in a clearly annoyed post. Republicans need nothing from Democrats other than their votes, and people like Schumer are just handing it over willingly. And, since that’s the only bargaining chip they have — and they just surrendered it — Kinzinger is right to inform people like Schumer that they’re “a willing participant in Republican majority.”

For the democrats saying “we can’t let the govt shut down” you’ve already lost. It’s not on you.

Republicans control everything, didn’t come to you for anything except your vote. Where else can you force changes? You can’t… you’re a willing participant in Republican majority

— Adam Kinzinger (Slava Ukraini) 🇺🇸🇺🇦🇮🇱 (@AdamKinzinger) March 13, 2025

Kinzinger is right to lecture Schumer and Newsom for what, at this point, feels a lot like a betrayal of their own party. We’re in dire times, and our elected leaders are easily the most able to fight back. What’s the point, if they just bow down to the wannabe dictator and his buddies?