WASHINGTON ― Democrats on Capitol Hill are fuming about President Donald Trump’s Monday evening announcement that he’s freezing all federal grants and loans, a shocking motion that seems as unconstitutional as it’s dangerous to thousands and thousands of People.
In addition they appear to have been jolted awake in a means they haven’t been in months. For the primary time since Trump’s win in November, there’s a whiff of resistance again within the air.
“It is a 5 alarm f-ing hearth,” Rep. Sean Casten (D-Unwell.) said Tuesday on social media. “We work onerous to not shut authorities down in Congress. Trump has determined he can do by fiat out of petulance and blind allegiance to the Challenge 2025 crowd. You both allow him or stand as much as him on this second. There isn’t any different choice.”
Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who caucuses with Democrats, all however instructed his colleagues to step it up of their position as federal lawmakers or go residence.
“What occurred final evening is probably the most direct assault on the authority of Congress, I consider, within the historical past of america,” King stated at a Tuesday media occasion. “If this stands, then Congress could as properly adjourn. The implications of that is the manager can choose and select which congressional enactments they’ll execute.”
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) had a extra blunt tackle the president’s declare he was solely briefly halting all federal grant spending: “Bullshit.”
Trump’s sweeping motion, directed by the Workplace of Administration and Funds, is so vaguely written that it’s not even clear which packages, if any, are exempted, which means billions if not trillions in federal {dollars} will cease flowing to even probably the most very important of packages everywhere in the nation. Some already affected by the freeze embody Head Start, important medical research and even Medicaid, which has reportedly seen its portals go down in all 50 states.
As anticipated, a federal decide temporarily blocked Trump’s motion late Tuesday.
The president has signed numerous damaging government orders in his first week again within the White Home, together with his mass firing of independent inspectors general at a number of federal businesses, his mass firing of Justice Department lawyers who beforehand labored on Trump’s prosecutions and his reinstatement of a ban on transgender people serving within the army.
However his OMB directive is a lot broader in scope and has the potential to inflict ache on so many weak folks (and is so unlawful) that it’s landed otherwise with Democrats. They’re exhibiting indicators, even when simply early indicators, that they’ve received a battle in them once more.
Almost two dozen Democrats on Tuesday opposed affirmation of Trump’s transportation secretary nominee, Sean Duffy, who is comparatively noncontroversial. Some explicitly stated their motive was due to the president’s freeze on federal cash.
“I used to be prepared to substantiate Sean Duffy to steer the Division of Transportation, however I can not vote for him after the chaos President Trump has unleashed together with his order to pause important federal funding to Nevada,” Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) stated in a press release.
“The funding being held up by President Trump contains help for Nevada’s seniors, veterans, and households ― to not point out grants for job-creating transportation tasks statewide,” stated Cortez Masto. “Working households deserve actual solutions from the Trump Administration about how they’ll repair the mess they’ve created.”
“Heading into this week, I used to be ready to vote to substantiate Rep. Duffy. Our conversations had been productive and inspiring, and I assumed he was sufficiently certified to function Transportation Secretary,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Unwell.) stated in a press release. “However President Trump’s sweeping order to freeze federal grant funding … is illegitimate and hurting People in crimson and blue states alike, and I can not vote to substantiate a Transportation Secretary whereas transportation funding is being unlawfully withheld.”
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) instructed reporters that his vote in opposition to Duffy was due to ”this government order that’s creating chaos and confusion” inside the Division of Transportation, amongst different businesses.
“So we are able to now not do enterprise as standard when the president is recklessly and reprehensibly seizing the ability of the purse unlawfully,” he stated.
It won’t appear to be a profound present of pressure that 22 of 47 Senate Democrats voted in opposition to Duffy’s nomination. However take into account that only a day earlier than, on Monday, the Senate voted 97-0 on a procedural step to advance Duffy’s nomination. As a substitute of simply going alongside to get alongside, senators are rediscovering their means to ship a message with votes.
“You both allow him or stand as much as him on this second. There isn’t any different choice.”
– Rep. Sean Casten (D-Unwell.)
Democrats additionally banded collectively Tuesday to block a Republican-led bill to sanction Worldwide Legal Courtroom officers. Just one Democrat, Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.), voted with the GOP to advance the invoice.
In the meantime, some Democrats are hinting at broader plans to jam Senate enterprise.
“Whereas President Trump illegally pauses federal funding from Congress, the Senate should not be enterprise as standard,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said Tuesday on social media. “We don’t consent to this lawless energy seize.”
To make certain, Democrats have little management over what Senate Republicans need to do within the subsequent two years, no less than. They’ll filibuster laws in the event that they stick collectively, however with a 47-53 minority, Democrats must win over no less than 4 Republicans each time they need to forestall affirmation of any of Trump’s government or judicial nominees.
It doesn’t imply they’re helpless, although. Even within the minority, in the event that they keep unified and have the desire to do it, Democrats may make an actual mess of how the Senate capabilities and does (or doesn’t) advance Trump’s priorities.
Democrats may, for instance, vote in opposition to each so-called “cloture” movement ― a procedural step that ends debate on no matter enterprise is pending on the Senate flooring. They may vote in opposition to giving unanimous consent any time a nominee or invoice is prepared for flooring motion. They may demand recorded votes on each Senate motion that requires a vote, as a substitute of agreeing to a fast voice vote and shifting alongside.
None of those steps would essentially forestall Republicans from pushing via the payments or nominees that Trump desires. But when Democrats did this on the common, it will drag out the method of getting something executed by hours, days, probably weeks.
ALLISON ROBBERT/AFP by way of Getty Pictures
Progressive advocacy teams, too, appear to be treating Trump’s OMB directive as a renewed name to motion for anybody who cares about defending democracy.
“If Trump will get away with this, each regulation Congress passes turns into optionally available for future presidents. We will’t let that occur,” stated Ezra Levin, co-founder and co-executive director of Indivisible, a progressive motion fashioned in resistance to Trump. “It is a revolution, not a memo ― and it’s time to fulfill the second with relentless, uncompromising pushback.”
“We won’t stand by whereas this administration blatantly tries to remove the freedoms and packages that help households and strengthen our communities,” vowed Lupe Rodriguez, government director on the Nationwide Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice.
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It’s too early to inform if Senate Democrats have it in them to mount an actual resistance to Trump’s excessive plans over the following 4 years. However one approach to gauge the fireplace of their bellies is how they vote within the coming days and weeks on extra of the president’s Cupboard picks. And no less than one in every of their colleagues within the Home will probably be watching.
“In case you are a Senator proper now confirming ANY Trump nominee who won’t unambiguously defend their oath to the Structure even when which means standing as much as Trump you might be utterly misunderstanding the chance of this second,” Casten said on social media.
Igor Bobic contributed reporting.
