Park Slope Man Becomes U.S. Senate Majority Leader

BROOKLYN, NY — One of Brooklyn's own has made history as the first New York-born majority leader of the U.S. Senate.

Sen. Chuck Schumer officially took control as Senate majority leader on Wednesday following the swearing in of Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, whose victories in Georgia's run-off election gave Democrats the majority given Vice President Kamala Harris' role as the tie-breaking vote.

Schumer, who grew up in Midwood and still lives in Park Slope, gave a shout-out to the borough during his speech at the Capitol.

"A kid from Brooklyn, the son of an exterminator and a housewife, a descendent of victims of the Holocaust — that I should be the leader of this new senate majority is an awesome responsibility," he said. "Today I feel the full weight of that responsibility."

The former minority leader has said that he will put together the agenda for 2021 through meetings with members of his caucus soon. A top priority will be $2,000 coronavirus relief checks, according to The Hill.

Schumer, 70, grew up in Brooklyn and represented parts of the borough as a New York state assembly member and U.S. representative before becoming one of the state's two U.S. senators in 1998. He had been the minority leader since 2017.

The lawmaker still spends a good amount of time in the borough, and told Patch in late 2019 that his simple pleasures include biking around Park Slope, playing catch in Prospect Park and spending time with his grandson.

Schumer's Park Slope home has also become a go-to spot for various rallies or protests, including a recent call for former President Donald Trump's removal following the riots at the U.S. Capitol.