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Rep. Seth W. Moulton ’01 (D-Mass.) rebuked his party for bowing to Republicans in the ongoing fight to reopen the federal government, accusing Senate Minority Leader Chuck E. Schumer ’71 (D-NY) of ineffective leadership.
Moulton, currently running to unseat Senator Ed J. Markey (D-Mass.), slammed his Democratic colleagues for approving the 2026 federal budget — a Senate bill that would reopen the government — without renewing the expiring subsidies for health insurance premiums on the Affordable Care Act market.
“What I’d say to Senator Schumer is, ‘Did you lose control of your caucus, or did you give them permission to give in?’ Because we were finally making real progress on getting Americans healthcare that they can afford,” Moulton said in a sit-down interview with The Crimson.
Moulton, a Marine veteran who represents the area from Salem to Amesbury, visited his alma mater for a Veterans Day ceremony at Memorial Church. Harvard administrators filled the audience, including College Dean David J. Deming and Dean of Students Thomas G. Dunne. Moulton praised the sacrifices of veterans and said more young people should find ways to volunteer for the greater good.
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In an interview following his keynote address, Moulton was quick to criticize Markey for not denouncing Schumer after the Senate passed the budget bill, and said he disagreed with Markey’s continued support for the minority leader. Though Schumer himself voted against passing the budget, he has been widely blamed for the defections of eight senior Democratic senators — none of whom are up for reelection in 2026.
“I certainly disagree on Senator Schumer,” Moulton said in the interview. “Let’s ask him if he’s going to vote for maintaining the status quo and protecting the establishment in Washington.”
Now that the Senate has broken its deadlock over the funding bill, Republican leaders are hopeful that they will be able to push the bill through the GOP-led House, where it only needs to clear a simple majority.
Markey, who has been in public office since 1976, announced his Senate reelection bid in July. He has since received support from fellow Senator Elizabeth A. Warren (D-Mass.) and several other Massachusetts lawmakers.
But Moulton said it’s time for a change. He has frequently cited Markey’s age — 79 — as a sign of the need for new Democratic leadership in the state. In 2020, Markey faced Joseph P. Kennedy III, who also took aim at Markey’s age and hailed a need for new leadership. Kennedy lost by 11 points.
While Markey has been hesitant to speak out against Schumer, Moulton, who has also trotted the issue out as a new line of attack on social media, said in no uncertain terms that the action taken by the eight Democratic senators harmed their party’s messaging.
“Unfortunately, the message that Senator Schumer is sending to Donald Trump is that he can win these battles,” Moulton said.
“That’s the wrong message the Democratic Party should be sending,” he added.
Representatives for Schumer and Markey did not respond to requests for comment.
Moulton also criticized the Democratic Party for “not listening to voters,” comparing the party’s inattentiveness to the character of Harvard students.
“Democrats have a habit of acting like Harvard kids,” Moulton said, “standing on a pedestal and preaching about what people should believe and what they should do, and telling people that if you don't agree with me, you're not only wrong, you’re a bad person.”
Moulton has clashed with his Democratic colleagues in the past — specifically over comments he made criticizing transgender athletes. He is seen as a more centrist candidate willing to challenge fellow Democrats, something he said “is not always popular in the party.”
But Moulton is confident that he can still win his race against Markey, adding that he is “challenging the status quo and being willing to go against the establishment.”
Challenging the status quo has not always been positive for Moulton. A recent Data For Progress poll found that many voters see Moulton as “too focused on his own ambition,” following a failed run for the Democratic presidential nominee in 2020 and an attempt to oust Nancy Pelosi as House Democrats’ leader in 2016 and 2018 due to her age.
The same poll shows Markey leading Moulton by 19 points.
But Moulton chided these claims, saying the Democratic Party should be more ambitious, especially after “giving up” on the shutdown.
“Do you want leaders who don’t have ambition?” Moulton said.
“That’s not what Democrats need right now, and it’s sure as hell not what America needs,” he added.
—Staff writer Megan L. Blonigen can be reached at megan.blonigen@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X at @MeganBlonigen.
—Staff writer Frances Y. Yong can be reached at frances.yong@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X at @frances_yong_.
