Congressional Republicans are growing openly frustrated with President Donald Trump’s poorly timed moves repeatedly upending their legislative plans.
The long-simmering private frustrations have started spilling into public view and made some Republicans sound as if they suspect he’s intentionally sabotaging their agenda, reported MS NOW.
“Everything is timed so perfectly that it’s like they sit around in the White House and think to themselves when is the worst possible time to do this — and then they do it,” one House Republican told MS NOW.
Another Republican echoed those thoughts, saying the president doesn’t seem to recognize the role of Congress in the the constitutional order, and that lawmaker wished the White House would coordinate with them as they had done GOP’s reconciliation bill last year.
“Not random decisions and endorsements p—— folks off,” that GOP lawmaker said.
A third House Republican pinned blame on the president for the GOP agenda stalling in Congress.
“It’s pretty self-evident, right?” that Republican said. “You don’t need to speculate — these decisions are impacting legislative progress here.”
Last month, the Justice Department’s announcement of a proposed $1.776 billion anti-weaponization fund landed just days before a critical reconciliation vote, giving Democrats an opening to force tough Senate votes and hammer vulnerable Republicans. GOP leaders were forced to delay passage of the reconciliation bill until acting Attorney General Todd Blanche publicly declared the fund dead.
Trump’s decision to install Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence triggered bipartisan backlash that helped sink an extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — producing the first expiration of the surveillance authority in its nearly 18-year history.
Republicans say the damage could have been avoided if Trump had announced his intention to nominate Jay Clayton as a permanent replacement even a day earlier, which might have persuaded Democrats to drop their blockade.
“If Clayton had come even 24 hours sooner, the week may have ended differently than it did,” a senior Senate Republican aide said.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said plainly after the anti-weaponization announcement that it “would’ve been nice” if the White House had consulted lawmakers first. Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) acknowledged the announcements had directly affected votes on Capitol Hill, answering his own rhetorical question with a blunt “yes.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) offered perhaps the most charitable interpretation, saying she simply doesn’t believe Trump even considers Congress when he makes decisions. “I just don’t think he thinks about it,” she said.
Others are less generous. One House Republican suggested the disruptions are deliberate — part of a broader effort to weaken the legislative and judicial branches while consolidating executive power.
“I don’t think he’s dumb,” the lawmaker said. “I think he does a lot of this stuff on purpose.”
“We all know the president talks to one group of people, and it’s his base,” that GOP lawmaker added. “He doesn’t care about anyone else, and when he talks to them, I think a lot of the actions he’s taken is to try to undermine both the legislative branch and the judicial branch and strengthen his position of executive branch and the importance of him sticking around.”
With midterm elections approaching, retiring Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) put the stakes plainly: “If he wants a Democrat House, he’s got to be more thoughtful. It does hurt.”
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