Trump faces new Republican resistance in Congress as midterm pressures build
By David Morgan
WASHINGTON, June 6 (Reuters) – Donald Trump faces widening opposition within his own party, with Republican lawmakers in Congress long reluctant to challenge him and increasingly eager to break ranks with the U.S. president.
Last week, multiple Republican groups in the Senate and House of Representatives stepped forward to condemn his war on Iran, reject $1 billion in funding tied to the White House ballroom, force him to withdraw his $1.8 billion “anti-guns” fund, and block legislation on domestic espionage.
The House also challenged Trump on Thursday by passing a bill to provide aid to Ukraine and impose new sanctions on Russia; This measure looks likely to be vetoed by the president.
Republicans and Democrats are skeptical that Trump faces a real insurgency. But a growing coalition of Republicans, including those he personally helped remove from office, appears willing to break with Trump and could pose a threat to Trump’s most ambitious initiatives between now and Election Day.
“I think as we get closer to the election, you see people are going to vote the way their voters want them to,” said Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who announced his retirement from the Senate last year after opposing the president’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill.
Democrats have largely rejected the idea, saying there is no evidence that the party overall is willing to oppose him on important issues.
“The people who are leaving him are the people who were extinguished by Trump,” said Democratic Sen. John Fetterman, who sometimes supports Trump-backed initiatives. “This actually shows his absolute control over the party.”
A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, attributed Republicans’ opposition to “election year politics.” “Not every member will bear the political costs of every issue,” the person said.
“While the media and Democrats seek to sow divisions that do not exist, we look forward to continuing this close relationship to continue to deliver on President Trump’s agenda,” said White House press secretary Abigail Jackson.
A NEW WILL TO RESIST TRUMP
For years, Republican lawmakers have publicly shown allegiance to Trump by backing his controversial cabinet picks, offering little or no resistance to his executive orders, and backing his signature legislation despite concerns about a ballooning budget deficit and cuts to the Medicaid health program for low-income Americans.
Lawmakers and aides say frustration and resentment have grown since Trump opposed the reelection bids of Republican Senators Bill Cassidy and John Cornyn and jeopardized the Republican agenda in Congress with a series of ill-timed announcements.
The turning point came just before the U.S. Memorial Day holiday; Trump’s decision to oppose Cornyn’s re-election and his announcement of his “anti-proliferation” fund forced Senate Republicans to abandon the $70 billion immigration enforcement funding bill and flee town in anger and frustration.
“It was kind of like a perfect storm of events,” a Senate Republican aide said.
Ultimately, the Senate passed the immigration enforcement funding bill on Friday, and Republicans voted against Democrats’ amendment that would have blocked the funding, but some worry the funding could be used to pay the Jan. 6 Capitol rioters and other Trump political allies.
Trump appears determined to nominate loyalist Bill Pulte to replace Tulsi Gabbard as interim Director of National Intelligence, although key Republicans have their doubts.
Sen. Mitch McConnell has made clear that he would not support Pulte becoming a permanent DNI, saying the legislation requires candidates with extensive experience. “No candidate who fails to meet this requirement will win my vote,” he said in a statement.
CANDIDACY WARS ARE BEGINNING
Republican opposition in the House and Senate has so far been mostly symbolic.
Three electorally vulnerable Senate Republicans — Susan Collins, Jon Husted and Dan Sullivan — joined Democrats in a push to ban Trump’s “anti-proliferation” fund in an unacceptable measure on Thursday and two other Republicans in an attempt to end the fund.
Republican Senator Jim Banks, a Trump ally, said as lawmakers voted: “This whole effort is about passing President Trump’s top agenda item to secure the border and fund ICE. What’s happening on the ground right now shows our solidarity with the president.”
Trump’s next big challenge is likely to nominate his former attorney, Todd Blance, as permanent U.S. attorney general; This move could face an uphill battle in the Senate. The first stop will be the Senate Judiciary Committee, a panel that includes Trump revenge victim Cornyn, who said his support would depend on how Blanche answers certain questions.
“The attorney general is not the president’s personal attorney,” Cornyn told reporters. “I want to make sure he understands the difference and is committed to making sure the law is enforced.”
(Reporting by David Morgan; Additional reporting by Nandita Bose and Bo Erickson; Editing by Alistair Bell)
