September 10, 2015 marked a big day in which a bill Senator Chuck Schumer sponsored was passed in the Senate and in which he made an intriguing comment on President Obama. The bill that was passed yesterday was the Border Jobs for Veterans Act (S. 1603) and it so now currently going through the House of Representatives. This bill he's cosponsoring with Senators Ron Johnson (R), Jeff Flake (R), and John McCain (R) would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Defense (DoD), to create a program which would recruit outgoing members of the U.S. Military to serve as Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers. This is a big win for him not only in that a bill he's cosponsoring has been passed by the Senate and is now being reviewed by the House of Representatives, but that it also reflects willingness to be bipartisan. Creating more jobs in America is something that Senator Schumer supports greatly and that's something that those who consider themselves to be liberal will likely support. The fact that he's willing to work on a bill with three Republicans can make him more appealing to those who are politically moderate and even those who label themselves as moderate conservatives.
While he has made genuine attempts to be more politically moderate, with the Border Jobs for Veterans Act as one of them, he made an interesting statement about President Obama in regards to the Iran Nuclear Deal. As stated in the New York Times article Democrats Hand Victory to Obama on Iran Nuclear Deal, Schumer stated that, "Regardless of how one feels about the agreement, [...] fair-minded Americans should acknowledge the president’s strong achievements in combating and containing Iran." This interesting statement highlights how despite him being on of the few powerful democrats to come out in opposition to this deal, he still respects the work of President Obama. Because of the negative backlash Senator Schumer has received since the opposition, this could be his way of trying to portray his loyalty to the President as well as to the Democratic Party. So while he has shown his capability of being more politically moderate and even successfully working alongside Republicans, he wants it to be known that he is still a Democrat and will remain loyal to his party even if he doesn't agree with what the majority of the party is standing for.
http://www.hsgac.senate.gov/media/majority-media/senate-unanimously-passes-bipartisan-border-jobs-for-veterans-act
https://www.cbo.gov/publication/50413
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/11/us/politics/iran-nuclear-deal-senate.html?smid=tw-share
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