Chuck Schumer calls Republicans 'b-----ds' in scathing MSNBC interview

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called his Republican opponents "b-----ds" on Thursday in an interview explaining his vote to avert a government shutdown. 

"We are going to conflict with them on everything," Schumer said on MSNBC. "On the tax cuts for the billionaires, they've become a plutocracy, an oligarchy."

"It’s much, much better not to be in the middle of a shutdown, which [would] divert people from the number one issue we have against these b-----ds," Schumer said. "Sorry, these people." 

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called his Republican opponents "b-----ds" on Thursday in an interview explaining his vote to avert a government shutdown.  (MSNBC)

Schumer argued that the most effective strategy for Democrats to oppose Trump's policies from within the government is to avert a government shutdown and continue to push back on Trump through Congress and the courts.

"We have plans to conflict them with all of that," Schumer said. "If the shutdown occurred, we wouldn’t be able to do that because they would fill up both the Senate and the discussion on whether we should cut this and not cut that of things that they want to cut. So to have the conflict on the best ground we have, summed up in a sentence, that they’re making the middle class pay for tax cuts for billionaires."

"And one other thing on a shutdown; on a shutdown, the courts could close or at least be totally, totally disabled," Schumer continued. "And the courts are one of the best ways we’ve had to go after these guys."

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Schumer argued that the most effective strategy for Democrats to oppose Trump's policies from within the government is to avert a government shutdown and continue to push back on Trump through Congress and through the courts. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Schumer said Thursday when announcing his decision to support keeping the government open that while the "bill is very bad, the potential for a shutdown has consequences for America that are much, much worse."

Schumer also addressed criticism from fellow Democrats over his opposition to a government shutdown on MSNBC, saying that the alternative is "horrible." 

"The alternative being a government shutdown, that's even worse," he said. 

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Fox News' Stepheny Price, Julia Johnson, Kelly Phares, and Megan Tome contributed to this report.