Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was supposed to be in Baltimore Monday night to launch a new book tour, but the plans changed abruptly as one of the top Democrats in federal government faced intense scrutiny from within his party.

His book tour was indefinitely postponed Monday morning, citing “security reasons” amid backlash over his decision to side with Republicans in last week’s vote to avert a government shutdown.

Protesters have been demonstrating outside Schumer’s New York home and U.S. Capitol office because of the shutdown vote.

The Democratic leader recently defended his decision, which was praised by President Donald Trump and slammed by voters who wanted Democrats to stand up to Republicans.

“Trump, Musk and DOGE would use the power of a shutdown to shift into overdrive,” Schumer said in a statement. “And the courts, one of our best places to fight these autocrats, could quickly run out of money. We can’t let this happen.”

Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish politician in American history, was scheduled to speak at the Enoch Pratt Free Library about his book “Antisemitism in America: A Warning.” A library staff member told The Baltimore Sun that Schumer’s team cited “security reasons” for their decision to postpone the book tour.

Liberal activists were upset by Schumer’s support for the GOP-sponsored continuing resolution (CR) that allowed President Donald Trump to fund the government through September. Schumer argued allowing the government to shut down would open the floodgates for Trump and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leader Elon Musk to pursue further cuts to vital government services.

The activists had planned protests at multiple stops on the book tour, which was also scheduled to visit Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Santa Monica later this week. However, those stops have also been postponed indefinitely.

Schumer’s decision to postpone the tour was widely criticized online, with media figures accusing the senator of hiding from his constituents.

“Schumer taking the path of Republican lawmakers and simply avoiding the public,” political commentator Krystal Ball posted on X, referring to the hesitancy of some Republicans to hold public town halls as their constituents grow angry with DOGE cuts.

The Pratt Library described Schumer’s book as “an urgent work of nonfiction that illuminates the Jewish experience and the prejudices both hidden and overt that have led to the chronic persecution of the Jewish people.” The book also draws on Schumer’s lived experiences while articulating a need to balance legitimate criticism of the Israeli government with antisemitic attitudes about an ancestral Jewish homeland, according to the library.

Have a news tip? Contact Carson Swick at cswick@baltsun.com.