Charles E. Schumer
U.S. Senator for NY
DemocraticSenate
Positions last updated Oct 12, 2026
- In Congress since
- 1981
- Years served
- 46
- Age
- 75
- Current term ends
- Jan 3, 2029
Source: Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress (via the public congress-legislators dataset). Photo: official congressional portrait.
Where their record lies
Between the typical Democratic and typical Republican record
Close to the typical Democratic record
Charles E. Schumer's record sits 2% of the way from the typical Democratic record to the typical Republican record.
Built from 6 topics that divide the parties. It describes a record of votes and statements, not a person. How this is calculated.
Their record by topic
Further from the center means more agreement with the quiz statement
Each point averages how Charles E. Schumer votes and what they say on that topic. A topic with no data is left out, not drawn as neutral. The sources are in the sections below.
Where they stand
Each topic is a statement from the quiz. "Agree" means their votes or words line up with it.
Health care
“The federal government should guarantee health coverage for every American.”
Votes: Strongly agree|Says: Strongly agree
Taxes & spending
“Lowering taxes matters more than expanding government services.”
Votes: Strongly disagree|Says: Strongly disagree
Immigration
“Border security should be the top priority in immigration policy.”
Votes: Strongly disagree|Says: Neutral or unsure
Climate & energy
“The federal government should require cuts to carbon emissions, even if energy costs rise.”
Votes: Agree|Says: Neutral or unsure
Guns
“Federal law should require background checks on all gun sales, including private sales.”
Votes: Neutral or unsure|Says: Strongly agree
Abortion
“Abortion law should be decided by each state, not the federal government.”
Votes: No data|Says: Strongly disagree
Education
“Public school funding should follow students to the school their family chooses, including private schools.”
Votes: Disagree|Says: Neutral or unsure
Foreign policy
“The U.S. should keep providing military aid to its allies abroad.”
Votes: Strongly agree|Says: Strongly agree
Votes on key bills
The final vote on each bill Scope tracks (not every vote they have cast). Newest first.
S. 1071: National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2026
Voted yesSenate vote, Dec 17, 2025 · Counts toward: Foreign policy
H.R. 1: 2025 budget law (the One Big Beautiful Bill Act): tax cuts, Medicaid and border spending
Voted noSenate vote, Jul 1, 2025 · Counts toward: Education, Health care, Taxes & spending, Immigration
S. 5: Laken Riley Act (2025)
Voted noSenate vote, Jan 20, 2025 · Counts toward: Immigration
H.R. 815: National security aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan (2024)
Voted yesSenate vote, Apr 24, 2024 · Counts toward: Foreign policy
H.R. 5376: Inflation Reduction Act (2022)
Voted yesSenate vote, Aug 7, 2022 · Counts toward: Climate & energy, Health care
Show 3 more votes
S. 2938: Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (2022)
Voted yesSenate vote, Jun 24, 2022 · Counts toward: Guns
H.R. 1319: American Rescue Plan Act (2021)
Voted yesSenate vote, Mar 6, 2021 · Counts toward: Health care
H.R. 1: Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (2017)
Voted noSenate vote, Dec 2, 2017 · Counts toward: Taxes & spending, Education
Source: House Clerk and Senate roll-call records via Congress.gov. For every vote they have cast, see GovTrack.
Words versus votes
Pro preview · free for nowNo topic where votes and statements point in opposite directions (7 topics compared).
A difference is a prompt to look closer, not proof of anything. Votes come from a short list of tracked bills; statements come from speeches, press releases and bills they put their name on. See the evidence for each topic. On 4 more topics one side is neutral, so there is nothing to contrast.
What they work on
14 bills written, 127 signed onto. Top topic: Taxation
In the current Congress they have written 14 bills and signed on to 127 more. A bill someone writes shows what they want to change.
Topics of the bills they wrote
- Taxation5
- International Affairs3
- Armed Forces and National Security2
- Crime and Law Enforcement2
- Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues1
Most recent bills they wrote
- S. 5323: A bill to designate a building of the Chancery of the United States in Pristina, Kosovo, as the "Elliot L. Engel Buil... (Aug 6, 2026)
- S. 5212: No Payoffs for Pardons Act (Aug 4, 2026)
- S. 4796: Stock Buyback Accountability Act of 2026 (Jun 16, 2026)
- S. 3838: Venezuela Oil Proceeds Transparency Act (Feb 11, 2026)
- S. 3815: Virginia's Law (Feb 10, 2026)
Source: Sponsorship records from Congress.gov; each bill links to its page there.
Committees
2 committees: Senate Committee on Rules and Administration; Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
Committees study and rewrite bills before the full chamber votes.
Source: Committee rosters from the congress-legislators dataset (built from the House and Senate committee pages, as of 2026-10-12). Each committee name links to its official page.
Career in Congress
1981 to present
- 1981 to 1983U.S. House, NY, district 16Democrat
- 1983 to 1993U.S. House, NY, district 10Democrat
- 1993 to 1999U.S. House, NY, district 9Democrat
- 1999 to presentU.S. Senate, NYDemocrat
Contact and learn more
Office phone, website, message form and where to read more
Contact their office
- Official website
- Send a message
- Phone: 202-224-6542
- Washington office: 322 Hart Senate Office Building
- X (Twitter)
Read more about them
- Official biography (Congress) (Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress)
- GovTrack (Votes, bills and ideology scores)
- OpenSecrets (Who funds them)
- Ballotpedia (Background and elections)
- Wikipedia (Encyclopedia article)
Source: Contact details from the member's official pages, via the congress-legislators dataset. Outside sites are not run by Scope.
The evidence, topic by topic
Every position links to the votes, quotes and bills it was built from
Health care
How they vote
Strongly agree (+2)
Calculated from 3 recorded vote(s) using the public issue-to-bill list.
Verified · Last updated Oct 12, 2026
Roll call on An act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of S. Con. Res. 14.Roll call on billRoll call on billWhat they say
Strongly agree (+2)
Based on 2 cosponsored bills, 1 sponsored bill, 8 floor speechs related to this issue.
Verified · Last updated Oct 8, 2026
“Access to healthcare is a basic right, no matter what the radicals on the MAGA Court may think.”
“Americans want us to pass legislation that lowers healthcare costs, expands people's coverage.”
cosponsored bill: S 46: Health Care Affordability Act of 2025floor speech: Women's Healthcare (Executive Session)floor speech: Trump Administration (Executive Session)floor speech: One Big Beautiful Bill (Executive Session)cosponsored bill: SJRES 84: A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Servsponsored bill: S 2556: Protecting Health Care and Lowering Costs Act“Sixteen million will lose their Medicaid and ACA coverage.”
Taxes & spending
How they vote
Strongly disagree (-2)
Calculated from 2 recorded vote(s) using the public issue-to-bill list.
Verified · Last updated Oct 12, 2026
Roll call on billRoll call on An act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018.What they say
Strongly disagree (-2)
Based on 1 cosponsored bill, 16 floor speechs related to this issue.
Verified · Last updated Oct 8, 2026
“Democrats are going to fight these billionaire tax cuts tooth and nail.”
“Republicans cutting $880 billion from Medicaid to pay for their billionaire tax cuts.”
floor speech: BUDGETfloor speech: 119TH CONGRESSfloor speech: BUDGETfloor speech: Trump Administration (Executive Session)floor speech: Reconciliation (Executive Session)cosponsored bill: S 1372: Tax Cut for Workers Act of 2025“give it in tax cuts to billionaires--how perverse, how cruel, even vicious”
Immigration
How they vote
Strongly disagree (-2)
Calculated from 2 recorded vote(s) using the public issue-to-bill list.
Verified · Last updated Oct 12, 2026
Roll call on billRoll call on billWhat they say
Neutral or unsure (0)
Based on 1 floor speech related to this issue.
Verified · Last updated Oct 8, 2026
floor speech: RECONCILIATION“They want to give $140 billion for ICE and Border Patrol without any reforms but zero dollars to lower Americans' costs.”
Climate & energy
How they vote
Agree (+1)
Calculated from 1 recorded vote(s) using the public issue-to-bill list.
Verified · Last updated Oct 12, 2026
Roll call on An act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of S. Con. Res. 14.What they say
Neutral or unsure (0)
Based on 1 cosponsored bill related to this issue.
Verified · Last updated Oct 8, 2026
cosponsored bill: SRES 36: A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States, States, cities, Tribal nations, businesses, institutions of higher education, and other institutionsGuns
How they vote
Neutral or unsure (0)
Calculated from 1 recorded vote(s) using the public issue-to-bill list.
Verified · Last updated Oct 12, 2026
Roll call on Bipartisan Safer Communities ActWhat they say
Strongly agree (+2)
Based on 3 cosponsored bills, 2 floor speechs related to this issue.
Verified · Last updated Oct 8, 2026
“pass commonsense gun reforms to prevent violent individuals from acting on that hate with such deadly efficiency”
cosponsored bill: S 726: Ethan's Lawfloor speech: San Diego Shooting (Executive Session)cosponsored bill: SCONRES 25: A concurrent resolution recognizing the 15th anniversary of the January 8, 2011, Tucson, Arizona, shooting and honoring the survivors and victims, including former Congrecosponsored bill: S 3214: Background Check Expansion Actfloor speech: Third Anniversary of Buffalo Shooting (Executive Calendar)“to expand background checks, crack down on gun traffickers, and invest in violence intervention programs”
Abortion
How they vote
No data
What they say
Strongly disagree (-2)
Based on 1 cosponsored bill, 2 floor speechs related to this issue.
Verified · Last updated Oct 8, 2026
“six far-right wing MAGA Justices broke nearly 50 years of precedent to rip the right to choose away from millions”
cosponsored bill: S 2150: Women’s Health Protection Act of 2025floor speech: Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (Executive Session)floor speech: DOBBS V. JACKSON WOMEN'S HEALTH ORGANIZATION“because of this awful decision”
Education
How they vote
Disagree (-1)
Calculated from 2 recorded vote(s) using the public issue-to-bill list.
Verified · Last updated Oct 12, 2026
Roll call on An act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018.Roll call on billWhat they say
Neutral or unsure (0)
Based on 1 cosponsored bill related to this issue.
Verified · Last updated Oct 8, 2026
cosponsored bill: S 4297: Keep Public Funds in Public Schools ActForeign policy
How they vote
Strongly agree (+2)
Calculated from 2 recorded vote(s) using the public issue-to-bill list.
Verified · Last updated Oct 12, 2026
Roll call on Making emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes.Roll call on billWhat they say
Strongly agree (+2)
Based on 3 cosponsored bills, 3 floor speechs related to this issue.
Verified · Last updated Oct 8, 2026
“give Ukraine the tools to defend itself”
“American support of a pro-Western democracy under attack is not charity. It is about our own long-term security.”
cosponsored bill: SRES 612: A resolution acknowledging the fourth anniversary of Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, reaffirming support for the people of Ukraine, and emphasizing the importance of floor speech: Secretary of Defense (Executive Session)cosponsored bill: SRES 442: A resolution condemning Russian incursions into NATO territory and reaffirming Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.floor speech: Russia Sanctions (Executive Session)floor speech: Vladimir Putin (Executive Session)cosponsored bill: SRES 51: A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States Agency for International Development is essential for advancing the national security interests of the“He should unequivocally state the United States stands with Ukraine and against Putin. He should state that he fully supports additional air defense for Ukraine”
Revision history
50 recorded changes
- Foreign policy (vote): 2 to 2Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
- Education (vote): -1 to -1Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
- Guns (vote): 0 to 0Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
- Climate & energy (vote): 1 to 1Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
- Immigration (vote): -2 to -2Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
- Taxes & spending (vote): -2 to -2Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
- Health care (vote): 2 to 2Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
- Guns (vote): 0 to 0Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
- Climate & energy (vote): 1 to 1Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
- Health care (vote): 1 to 2Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
- Foreign policy (vote): 2 to 2Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
- Education (vote): -1 to -1Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
- Taxes & spending (vote): -2 to -2Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
- Immigration (vote): -2 to -2Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
- Foreign policy (vote): 2 to 2Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
- Education (vote): -1 to -1Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
- Guns (vote): 0 to 0Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
- Climate & energy (vote): 1 to 1Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
- Immigration (vote): -2 to -2Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
- Taxes & spending (vote): -2 to -2Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
- Health care (vote): 1 to 1Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
- Guns (vote): 0 to 0Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
- Education (vote): -1 to -1Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
- Climate & energy (vote): 1 to 1Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
- Foreign policy (vote): 2 to 2Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
- Health care (vote): 1 to 1Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
- Taxes & spending (vote): -2 to -2Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
- Immigration (vote): -2 to -2Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
- Guns (statement): 2 to 2Bulk approval (statements): Spot-checked a sample of the AI's readings · Oct 8, 2026
- Education (statement): 0 to 0Bulk approval (statements): Spot-checked a sample of the AI's readings · Oct 8, 2026
- Immigration (statement): 0 to 0Bulk approval (statements): Spot-checked a sample of the AI's readings · Oct 8, 2026
- Climate & energy (statement): 0 to 0Bulk approval (statements): Spot-checked a sample of the AI's readings · Oct 8, 2026
- Foreign policy (statement): 2 to 2Bulk approval (statements): Spot-checked a sample of the AI's readings · Oct 8, 2026
- Health care (statement): 2 to 2Bulk approval (statements): Spot-checked a sample of the AI's readings · Oct 8, 2026
- Taxes & spending (statement): -2 to -2Bulk approval (statements): Spot-checked a sample of the AI's readings · Oct 8, 2026
- Abortion (statement): -2 to -2Bulk approval (statements): Spot-checked a sample of the AI's readings · Oct 8, 2026
- Immigration (statement): created at 0Created · Oct 8, 2026
- Abortion (statement): 0 to -2Status changed: needs_review to needs_review · Oct 8, 2026
- Taxes & spending (statement): 0 to -2Status changed: needs_review to needs_review · Oct 8, 2026
- Foreign policy (statement): 1 to 2Status changed: needs_review to needs_review · Oct 8, 2026
- Climate & energy (statement): created at 0Created · Oct 8, 2026
- Abortion (statement): created at 0Created · Oct 8, 2026
- Health care (statement): created at 2Created · Oct 8, 2026
- Taxes & spending (statement): created at 0Created · Oct 8, 2026
- Education (statement): created at 0Created · Oct 8, 2026
- Foreign policy (statement): created at 1Created · Oct 8, 2026
- Guns (statement): created at 2Created · Oct 8, 2026
- Foreign policy (vote): 2 to 2Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 8, 2026
- Education (vote): -1 to -1Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 8, 2026
- Guns (vote): 0 to 0Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 8, 2026
