Dem
47
GOP
53
Donald Trump got a
double whammy
from the Senate yesterday. First, the Senate is not going to allow the $1 billion for a giant eyesore ballroom
attached to the White House. Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough said it wasn't allowed in a reconciliation
bill. Furthermore, the votes weren't there. Trump will be furious about this. The ballroom was a top priority for
him.
Second, Democrats have proposed an amendment that targets the giant slush fund Trump wants to create to shower himself, his cronies, and selected supporters with money. Anonymous sources say the votes for the amendment are there. Of course, how would Congress enforce that? Suppose the amendment says that the president cannot spend funds that Congress has not appropriated? Actually, that would just repeat words that are already in the Constitution. But what if Trump just orders the Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent to wire $1.776 billion to some bank somewhere in the world and Bessent does it?
Then what? What could Congress do? It could impeach and try to convict Bessent, but even if that succeeded, Trump would still have the money. The Constitution really doesn't have any self-enforcement mechanisms. The only thing Congress can do if the president is openly breaking the law is impeach him. And Trump's recent demonstration that he will end the career of anyone who opposes him (see: Massie, Thomas) is a pretty clear message to all Republicans in Congress not to get in his way. (V)