WASHINGTON ― Earlier than President Donald Trump entered workplace final month, Democrats struck a bipartisan tone and pledged to work with him each time doable, together with by supporting a few of his Cupboard nominees.
However now, as Trump’s administration strikes to unilaterally intestine the federal government and lay off hundreds of vital federal staff, creating chaos across the nation, some Democratic senators are having second ideas about voting to verify his staff.
“I do remorse it. Voting for [Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug] Collins was a mistake, and I apologize to the veterans of the nation,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said on a name with reporters on Wednesday.
Blumenthal’s feedback adopted the Trump administration’s choice to terminate more than 1,000 Veterans Affairs Division workers, together with veterans and staff combating veteran suicide on the Veterans Disaster Line. The cuts are a part of Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s broader effort to slash the federal workforce.
Collins was confirmed by the Senate earlier this month by a large bipartisan margin, 77-23.
“He has betrayed the guarantees that he made to me throughout his affirmation listening to,” Blumenthal stated. “And possibly my vote was comprehensible in mild of these guarantees. I took him at his phrase, however I remorse it now as a result of he has not solely damaged these guarantees ― he’s failed to answer my 20-plus inquiries, fully failed to answer my and my colleagues’ inquiries as a result of they’ve joined me as to the precise causes, the results and the aid that he’s going to afford veterans.”
Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.), in the meantime, advised Migrant Insider that he regrets voting to verify Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem, who has led Trump’s efforts to crack down on migrants on the U.S.-Mexico border. The freshman New Jersey senator was one in all seven Democrats who voted in favor of Noem’s affirmation.
Kim confirmed on Thursday he gained’t vote for any extra Trump nominees going ahead as a result of administration’s efforts to shutter federal companies. He additionally expressed disappointment with solutions that former Oregon Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Trump’s nominee to steer the Labor Division, gave him throughout her affirmation listening to on Thursday.
“I need somebody that’s going to face up for staff,” Kim advised HuffPost.
And Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) expressed comparable misgivings about voting to verify Secretary of State Marco Rubio, his former Senate colleague who was unanimously confirmed to his submit final month. Speaking with CNN final week, Van Hollen cited Rubio serving to to dismantle the USA Company for Worldwide Growth, the humanitarian aid company he as soon as supported.
“My one vote I forged for a member of the Trump Cupboard was for now-Secretary Rubio,” Van Hollen advised the community. “I remorse to say I remorse that vote, as a result of as soon as put in in workplace, he’s primarily abandoning the positions he took right here as United States senator. … Rubio stated he was going to seek the advice of with us on the USAID state of affairs. So, sure, I’ve been extraordinarily upset within the actions of Secretary Rubio.”
Democrats are within the minority within the Senate and may’t really cease Trump’s nominees from being confirmed. However progressive activists and protesters have known as on the get together to get extra aggressive and do extra to oppose the president’s unilateral actions like freezing spending and disbanding companies, a lot of which lack congressional approval and sure violate the Structure’s separation of powers.
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“I feel it’s fairly clear that this violates Article One of many Structure,” Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, told Politico of Trump’s strikes to freeze spending.
Democratic voters additionally aren’t proud of the best way their get together is dealing with Trump. In response to a Quinnipiac College poll launched on Wednesday, 40% of Democrats approve of the best way Democratic lawmakers are dealing with their job, whereas 49% disapprove. In March 2023, underneath President Joe Biden, congressional Democrats had an approval score of 54 points amongst Democratic voters.
“It’s a sobering slap down of historic proportions for the Democrats in Congress,” Quinnipiac College Polling Analyst Tim Malloy stated in a press launch. “Their Republican counterparts take a victory lap because the Democrats attempt to get their footing.”
