In Long Island protest, Schumer, Gillibrand urged to fight against Trump, Musk initiatives

More than 200 protesters rallied Wednesday outside of Democratic U.S. Senate offices on Long Island, calling for New York leadership to fight back against President Donald Trump’s executive orders and Cabinet nominations and funding oversight by Elon Musk.

Protesters gathered outside the Melville offices of Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, urging them to stall Senate business until Trump reigned in executive orders and funding cuts aimed at dismantling certain government departments.

The midday demonstration Wednesday, led by several progressive groups including the Long Island Network for Change, or LINC, and Show Up Long Island, was one of the first rallies on Long Island following demonstrations across the country protesting Trump’s policies and cabinet nominees.

"The Senate Democrats have not done enough, and that is precisely why we are here," said Emily Kaufman, an organizer with LINC from Huntington. "They are acting as if this is business as usual, and there is nothing normal or usual about this. We are urging them to take every procedural action, to disrupt, to vote no on everything. "

The White House Press Office did not respond to a request for comment.

Protesters carrying signs such as, "Trump is not a king," and "Deport Elon," marched to the senate offices to deliver petitions with the request for actions.

Staffers for Schumer and Gillibrand acknowledged the protests and met with organizers.   Suffolk County police and Homeland Security officers then escorted demonstrators out of the office building peacefully.

"We welcomed folks to our office, thanked them for their input and spoke with them about the work Sen. Schumer and Sen. Gillibrand are doing to beat back President Donald Trump’s illegal funding freeze that would hurt Long Island seniors, vets and kids, as well as opposing unqualified nominees who could undermine our national security, health care and more," Schumer’s office said in a statement Wednesday.

Schumer has urged the Democratic caucus to vote against Office of Management Budget nominee Russell Vought, who was also identified as the architect of Project 2025, a conservative policy manual outlining government reforms.

He has also spoken on the Senate floor against Trump’s FBI nominee Kash Patel and called for a stop to Musk’s self-appointed group, the Department of Government Efficiency, accessing sensitive data and accounts from the Treasury Department, including social security and Medicare payments and tax returns.

"Before our very eyes, an unelected shadow government is taking a hostile takeover of the federal government," Schumer told the Senate on Tuesday. "DOGE is not a real government agency. It has no authority to make spending decisions, to shut programs down, or to ignore federal law."

According to a reply to Schumer on X, Musk responded, "Hysterical reactions like this is how you know that DOGE is doing work that really matters" and that "this is the one shot the American people have to defeat bureaucracy ... and restore democracy."

Gillibrand’s office said she supported the protests. Her press secretary Adrien Lesser said in a statement: “Now more than ever, she is laser focused on ensuring that our government functions and delivering real results for New Yorkers.”

Protester Joseph Dragone, 77, of Northport, called for Democrats to refuse to comply with the new policies, saying: "We are in crisis mode and we need to know our senators represent us. I think the Democratic senators should do everything in their power so progress in the Senate is slowed to a halt. " 

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.