Dem
47
GOP
53
Senate Republicans Are. Not. Happy. about the sweetheart slush fund that Acting AG Todd Blanche is trying to set up for Donald Trump. And, for once, they may actually act on that unhappiness.
We don't mean to suggest that every Senate Republican is carping, of course. There are some members, like Sens. Rick Scott (FL) and Mike Lee (UT), who invariably come out loudly in favor of whatever Trump is doing, no matter how illegal or grifty. There are also some members who, whenever a light is shined on the Senate, scatter and hide like cockroaches, and are nowhere to be found.
But a sizable number of Republican senators, including some of the high-profile ones, are screaming bloody murder. There was a meeting with Acting AG Todd Blanche on Thursday, and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) told reporters there was literal screaming. And on his podcast, Cruz said that noses have been counted, and "at least" half the Republican conference is ready to vote against the slush fund. Add in all the Democrats and independents, and subtract John Fetterman (D?-PA), and that's more than enough to overcome a filibuster or a veto. It is also enough to convict in an impeachment trial, incidentally.
We have no idea how this will work out, long-term. However, in the short term, the Senate canceled a planned vote on the reconciliation bill that would theoretically fund ICE and CBP. And then the members left for the Memorial Day break; they won't be back in Washington until June 1. Oh, and June 1 also happens to be the deadline by which Trump demanded that the reconciliation bill reach his desk. The message would seem to be: "We're not going to give you what you want, until you get rid of this boondoggle we don't want."
Incidentally, it is the world's worst-kept secret that Blanche is doing all of this because he wants to be nominated as the permanent AG. Do you think it has occurred to him, for even a minute, that getting Trump to nominate him is only half the battle? The other half, of course, is that he would have to be confirmed... by the Senate. Recent events suggest strongly that confirmation is not forthcoming. In fact, we suspect someone has communicated to Trump that he's better off not nominating Blanche at all, to avoid the embarrassment of having to withdraw the nomination.
Over in the House, the news is more... muddy. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) also canceled a vote, but one that Trump was happy to see canceled, the War Powers Act resolution. In addition, Johnson and his colleagues are furious with the Senate for tabling the reconciliation bill. So, that's two very Trump-friendly postures. On the other hand, some House Republicans, particularly the ones up in swing districts, share their GOP Senate colleagues' unhappiness about the slush fund. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), who faces a difficult reelection bid, and whose primary is over (so, too late for a MAGA challenger), is leading the charge. We hardly need to remind readers that it only takes a few defections on that side of the Hill to bring a bill to the floor via discharge petition, and to pass it, assuming all Democrats agree. House Republicans have also departed until June 1, so we'll have to wait a week for the next episode in this little soap opera.
Meanwhile, it was just this Tuesday that countless commentators, observing the setbacks for Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), then Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), then (likely) Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), wrote that Donald Trump's power over the GOP is complete. Once the primaries are past and once a bunch of lame-duck free agents are free to vote their consciences, Trump will have a harder time controlling Congress. The early results would seem to vindicate that. (Z)