Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer defiantly broke his silence on calls to step down from his leadership role, as well as his decision to vote against blocking a Republican bill to avoid a partial government shutdown.

Schumer appeared on NBC's Meet the Press in a pre-taped interview that aired Sunday (March 23), reiterating that his moves were made "out of conviction" and fired back at reported Democrat detractors such as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“Look, I’m not stepping down,” Schumer said “I did it out of pure conviction as to what a leader should do and what the right thing for America and my party was. People disagree.”

Critics ranging from moderate to far-left ideologies argued that the government shut down was a rare instance in which the Democrats had leverage against the Republican majority Congress. Protests have been launched in multiple U.S. cities, including New York and Washington, D.C., calling for Schumer to step down from his leadership post due to his decision, which has led to him postponing his book tour last week amid security concerns.

Pelosi, who has worked alongside Schumer in Congress and as Democratic Party leaders for decades, was among the detractors, claiming she doesn't "give away anything for nothing" during a press conference last week.

“What we got, at the end of the day, is avoiding the horror of a shutdown,” Schumer responded via NBC News. “There was no leverage point that we could’ve asked for things. They just would’ve said no.”

Bob Lonsberry