Analysis · Floor speech · beta

Charles E. Schumer

Democrat on Legislative Session 2026-09-23

1151 words · 53 sentences · 68 clauses

Statement grade

Average 75 / 100

A score under 50 is red. Choose a measurement to see where it lost points and why; choose it again to clear.

Greeting 3%Claims 45%Aside 1%Thanks 9%Positioning 21%Procedure 3%Reasoning 3%Promise 5%The ask 9%

This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.

Mr. President, Greeting · 40 wordslet me say a few words about a great leader who has just retired--AFSCME president Lee Saunders. Today, I will pay tribute to a dear friend and a juggernaut for labor who recently began a well-deserved retirement--AFSCME president Lee Saunders.Greeting Claims · 20 wordsOn Monday, there will be a celebration of Lee and all his work for the labor movement over the years. Aside · 6 wordsIt will be quite a party.Aside Thanks · 22 wordsI am grateful to have known Lee for decades and have always been in awe of his steadfastness in defending working people.Thanks Claims · 22 wordsFor nearly 50 years, you could find Lee on the frontlines for every labor issue imaginable--equal pay, better benefits, safer working conditions. Positioning · 7 wordsYou name it, Lee fought for it.Positioning Claims · 24 wordsThat includes these past 14 years that Lee has served as president of AFSCME.¹ He also made history as the union’s first African-American president.² Thanks · 24 wordsAs Lee steered this mighty union, I have had the privilege of standing shoulder to shoulder with him on issue after issue after issue.Thanks Claims · 120 wordsTogether, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we fought hard to secure $350 billion for frontline workers and State and local governments, keeping communities afloat with public servants on the payroll.³ Many, if not most, of these workers would have lost their jobs had it not been for these dollars. We had real opposition from many on the other side of the aisle, but we fought hard and prevailed. Together, we worked tirelessly to ensure that over 2 million public servants received their hard-earned Social Security benefits.⁴ Together, we continue to fight for the PRO Act so that workers can better organize and bargain for fair wages and benefits, and we have applied that PRO Act in companion legislation for public workers. Thanks · 40 wordsI couldn’t have asked for a better partner in the trenches, and AFSCME’s members couldn’t have elected a better president to stand up for their rights in the face of some of the greatest challenges to organized labor for generations.Thanks Claims · 58 wordsIn my own city of New York, city workers get paid a much better wage than they used to, better benefits, better pensions--all because of the AFSCME and fight Lee Saunders led.No reason given It is nice to see that hard-working public servants are actually being paid a decent wage, although obviously many of us think it should be greater. Positioning · 60 wordsLee was always rising to meet the moment, unafraid to take on the hardest fights, and Lee’s example will continue to inspire future efforts to support American workers. Lee, you lit an eternal flame in the heart of the labor movement, and it will long endure no matter how hard corporate interests and union busters try to stamp it out.Positioning Thanks · 19 wordsI wish this great American the very best in his retirement and congratulate him on such a historic career.Thanks Mr. President, Procedure · 6 wordsnow on the Xi Jinping visit, ProcedurePositioning · 48 wordsas Donald Trump hunts for a headline and photo-op with Xi Jinping today, he is at risk of losing sight of what is at stake for the American people. Trump risks giving China a leg up on a variety of issues if he bends the knee to Xi.Positioning Claims · 32 wordsAs I have been warning not only for weeks but actually for years, Trump cannot let the Chinese Communist Party get its hands on our most advanced AI chips and manufacturing equipment. Reasoning · 34 wordsIf Trump truly wants to preserve America’s lead in the AI race, the answer is to prohibit the sale of this cutting-edge technology to China, not to let AI develop and continue without guardrails. Positioning · 14 wordsWe all ought to be concerned by Trump handing over this tech to China, PositioningPromise · 39 wordswhich is why Senator Warren and I, along with Senators Slotkin and Kim, will be holding a press conference today on the urgent need to tighten export controls and cut off the flow of AI technology to the CCP.⁵ Positioning · 15 wordsAI is just one area where there is a risk of Trump selling out America.Positioning Promise · 21 wordsWe will be closely watching what Trump does across the spectrum of challenges that the United States faces with the PRC.Vague promise Claims · 65 wordsTrump has already undermined America’s competitiveness by gutting Federal R&D and technical training and making it harder for American companies to recruit top talent from abroad. His actions have forced much of our best talent to flee this country and go to Europe and go to China--the best talent who come here to work and prosper, and he cuts off their grants, and they leave. Positioning · 6 wordsWhat does that do for America?Positioning Claims · 15 wordsIt certainly makes us weaker in scientific endeavor and makes our rivals-- even friendly rivals--stronger. Positioning · 74 wordsIt is almost like China is trying to sabotage American industry for decades to come. He gets these stupid bugs in his head that research is bad, that science is bad, that they are all a big bunch of liberals or something. He is so hurting America--Trump is--and strengthening China. Decades from now, historians will look back and say this may have been a turning point because we had such bad, stupid, ignorant leadership.Positioning Procedure · 14 wordsLet’s not forgot the implications Trump’s meetings with Xi could have for American autoworkers.Procedure Claims · 81 wordsIf Trump lets China flood the market with Chinese EVs--an idea he has flirted with before--he will put even more manufacturing workers out of a job than he already has.No reason given China also needs to stem the flow of fentanyl to the United States that is devastating our communities. I met with Xi on this very issue face to face 3 years ago.⁶ I told President Xi that he ought to stop the flow of these precursor chemicals to the United States. The ask · 17 wordsWell, Trump must push the PRC to do more to crack down on these synthetic opioid precursors. Claims · 13 wordsOur first discussions with Xi got some action but not close to enough. The ask · 31 wordsTrump ought to take legal action against those opioid precursors that have already been scheduled to come in here and crack down on illicit financing schemes keeping this deadly trade going. Claims · 22 wordsAs I said, after our meeting with Xi, China made some steps in the right direction, but it needs to do more. The ask · 37 wordsTrump also needs to explain why on Earth he continued providing tariff relief to China, our main competitor, while escalating his costly trade war with Canada, one of our closest allies.⁷ Square that circle for us, Donald. Claims · 45 wordsCrucially, there is real risk that Trump could let Xi off the hook for helping Russia and Iran evade sanctions, even helping Iran target American troops in the Middle East. All of this and Trump has the gall to call Xi Jinping ``a great gentleman.’’⁸ The ask · 24 wordsTrump, stop fawning over strongmen like Xi, and put your foot down. Put your American foot down, and defend our country and our workers. Positioning · 22 wordsStanding up for the American people means standing up to Xi. (The remarks of Mr. SCHUMER pertaining to the introduction of S.⁹Positioning Procedure · 14 words5461 are printed in today’s Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions.’’)Procedure

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 52

26 of 29 deductions are Signal

Signal checks whether every part makes a point, gives a reason, or asks for action. A low score means the speaker filled time with fluff, pleasantries, or attacks.

Greetings and pleasantries.What the tags mean “let me say a few words about a great leader who has just retired--AFSCME president Lee Saunders.”A greeting: no claim, reason or ask.
Greetings and pleasantries.What the tags mean “Today, I will pay tribute to a dear friend and a juggernaut for labor who recently began a well-deserved retirement--AFSCME president Lee Saunders.”A greeting: no claim, reason or ask.
A remark off to the side of the point.What the tags mean “It will be quite a party.”An aside: no claim, reason or ask.
Thanks and tributes.What the tags mean “I am grateful to have known Lee for decades and have always been in awe of his steadfastness in defending working people.”Thanks: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “You name it, Lee fought for it.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Thanks and tributes.What the tags mean “As Lee steered this mighty union, I have had the privilege of standing shoulder to shoulder with him on issue after issue after issue.”Thanks: no claim, reason or ask.
Thanks and tributes.What the tags mean “I couldn’t have asked for a better partner in the trenches,”Thanks: no claim, reason or ask.
Thanks and tributes.What the tags mean “and AFSCME’s members couldn’t have elected a better president to stand up for their rights in the face of some of the greatest challenges to organized labor for generations.”Thanks: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “Lee was always rising to meet the moment, unafraid to take on the hardest fights,”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “and Lee’s example will continue to inspire future efforts to support American workers.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “Lee, you lit an eternal flame in the heart of the labor movement,”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “and it will long endure no matter how hard corporate interests and union busters try to stamp it out.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Thanks and tributes.What the tags mean “I wish this great American the very best in his retirement and congratulate him on such a historic career.”Thanks: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “now on the Xi Jinping visit,”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “as Donald Trump hunts for a headline and photo-op with Xi Jinping today, he is at risk of losing sight of what is at stake for the American people.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “Trump risks giving China a leg up on a variety of issues if he bends the knee to Xi.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “We all ought to be concerned by Trump handing over this tech to China,”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “AI is just one area where there is a risk of Trump selling out America.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “What does that do for America?”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “It is almost like China is trying to sabotage American industry for decades to come.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “He gets these stupid bugs in his head that research is bad, that science is bad, that they are all a big bunch of liberals or something.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “He is so hurting America--Trump is--and strengthening China.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “Decades from now, historians will look back and say this may have been a turning point because we had such bad, stupid, ignorant leadership.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “Let’s not forgot the implications Trump’s meetings with Xi could have for American autoworkers.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “Standing up for the American people means standing up to Xi. (The remarks of Mr. SCHUMER pertaining to the introduction of S.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “5461 are printed in today’s Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions.’’)”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · no score

Not applicable: nothing to answer. Excluded from the average.

Relevance checks whether the speaker stays on topic and answers the question asked. A low score means the speaker dodged the issue.

Reasoning · 78

2 of 29 deductions are Reasoning

Reasoning checks for sound logic and solid support for any conclusion. A low score means the speaker made unsupported leaps or used weak arguments.

A conclusion stated with no reason given for it.What the tags mean “In my own city of New York, city workers get paid a much better wage than they used to, better benefits, better pensions--all because of the AFSCME and fight Lee Saunders led.”No clause gives a fact linking the wage improvements to the union’s efforts; the claim of cause rests on assertion alone.
A conclusion stated with no reason given for it.What the tags mean “If Trump lets China flood the market with Chinese EVs--an idea he has flirted with before--he will put even more manufacturing workers out of a job than he already has.”No clause offers a fact about EV imports or job effects; the conditional outcome stands on assertion alone.

Conclusions found · 9

Conclusion“if not most, of these workers would have lost their jobs had it not been for these dollars.”

Because“Together, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we fought hard to secure $350 billion for frontline workers and State and local governments, keeping communities afloat with public servants on the payroll.”

Reason given
Conclusion“In my own city of New York, city workers get paid a much better wage than they used to, better benefits, better pensions--all because of the AFSCME and fight Lee Saunders led.”

BecauseNo reason given

No reason givenNo clause gives a fact linking the wage improvements to the union’s efforts; the claim of cause rests on assertion alone.
Conclusion“If Trump truly wants to preserve America’s lead in the AI race, the answer is to prohibit the sale of this cutting-edge technology to China, not to let AI develop and continue without guardrails.”

Because“As I have been warning not only for weeks but actually for years, Trump cannot let the Chinese Communist Party get its hands on our most advanced AI chips and manufacturing equipment.”

Reason given
Conclusion“Trump has already undermined America’s competitiveness by gutting Federal R&D and technical training and making it harder for American companies to recruit top talent from abroad.”

Because“His actions have forced much of our best talent to flee this country and go to Europe and go to China--the best talent who come here to work and prosper,”

“and he cuts off their grants,”

“and they leave.”

Reason given
Conclusion“It certainly makes us weaker in scientific endeavor and makes our rivals-- even friendly rivals--stronger.”

Because“His actions have forced much of our best talent to flee this country and go to Europe and go to China--the best talent who come here to work and prosper,”

“and he cuts off their grants,”

“and they leave.”

Reason given
Conclusion“He is so hurting America--Trump is--and strengthening China.”

Because“Trump has already undermined America’s competitiveness by gutting Federal R&D and technical training and making it harder for American companies to recruit top talent from abroad.”

“His actions have forced much of our best talent to flee this country and go to Europe and go to China--the best talent who come here to work and prosper,”

“It certainly makes us weaker in scientific endeavor and makes our rivals-- even friendly rivals--stronger.”

Reason given
Conclusion“If Trump lets China flood the market with Chinese EVs--an idea he has flirted with before--he will put even more manufacturing workers out of a job than he already has.”

BecauseNo reason given

No reason givenNo clause offers a fact about EV imports or job effects; the conditional outcome stands on assertion alone.
Conclusion“Well, Trump must push the PRC to do more to crack down on these synthetic opioid precursors.”

Because“China also needs to stem the flow of fentanyl to the United States that is devastating our communities.”

“I met with Xi on this very issue face to face 3 years ago.”

“Our first discussions with Xi got some action but not close to enough.”

“As I said, after our meeting with Xi, China made some steps in the right direction,”

“but it needs to do more.”

Reason given
Conclusion“Trump ought to take legal action against those opioid precursors that have already been scheduled to come in here and crack down on illicit financing schemes keeping this deadly trade going.”

Because“China also needs to stem the flow of fentanyl to the United States that is devastating our communities.”

“Our first discussions with Xi got some action but not close to enough.”

“As I said, after our meeting with Xi, China made some steps in the right direction,”

“but it needs to do more.”

Reason given

Respect · no score

Not checked: graded before this measurement existed. Excluded from the average.

Respect checks whether the speaker argued with people’s positions and records rather than attacking the people: insults, mockery, or bad motives assigned to them. Criticism of what someone did, however strong, is not marked.

Clarity · 96

1 of 29 deductions are Clarity

Clarity checks for plain speaking, clear ownership of actions, and honest limits on certainty. A low score means vague promises or evasive language.

A promise with no date, no measure and no one responsible.What the tags mean “We will be closely watching”A commitment with no measure or success condition for what the watching will achieve.

Claims · 9

This list shows the factual statements you can check for yourself: the words as said, and the claim restated to stand on its own.

1“these past 14 years that Lee has served as president of AFSCME”Lee Saunders had served as president of AFSCME for 14 years.search
2“the union’s first African-American president”Lee Saunders was the first African-American president of AFSCME.search
3“we fought hard to secure $350 billion for frontline workers and State and local governments”During the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress secured $350 billion for frontline workers and State and local governments.search
4“over 2 million public servants received their hard-earned Social Security benefits”Over 2 million public servants received Social Security benefits as a result of legislation Schumer and Saunders supported.search
5“Senator Warren and I, along with Senators Slotkin and Kim, will be holding a press conference today”Senators Schumer, Warren, Slotkin, and Kim held a press conference on September 23, 2026, on tightening AI export controls.search
6“I met with Xi on this very issue face to face 3 years ago”Chuck Schumer met face to face with Xi Jinping about fentanyl precursor chemicals in 2023.search
7“while escalating his costly trade war with Canada, one of our closest allies.”The Trump administration continued providing tariff relief to China while escalating a trade war with Canada in 2026.search
8“Trump has the gall to call Xi Jinping ``a great gentleman.’”Donald Trump called Xi Jinping ‘a great gentleman.’search
9“Standing up for the American people means standing up to Xi. (The remarks of Mr. SCHUMER pertaining to the introduction of S.”Schumer introduced a bill numbered S. 5461 in the Senate.search

Analyzed on 2026-10-17