FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, February 19, 2025
PRESS CONTACT:
nicole@focalpointstrategygroup.com
Washington, D.C. — In the latest reporting from the Washington Post, Republican senators are facing the consequences of surrendering their congressional authority to Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Trump has been outspoken about his belief that the President should have the power to reallocate federal spending, and his recent executive orders freezing funding are only the beginning.
As a result of these funding freezes, Congress now finds itself in the position of having to ask the executive branch for funds to support their constituents and state projects. The Washington Post highlights multiple instances of Republican senators pleading with Trump and his cabinet members to secure funding for their programs.
By enabling Trump’s usurpation of congressional authority, these senators are not only failing their constituents but also neglecting their constitutional duties. The Constitution grants Congress the power of the purse, and through their actions, these Republican senators are signaling that the rule of Trump is being prioritized over the rule of law.
Read more from the Washington Post:
- “Even as many Republicans praise the ultimate goal of streamlining the federal government, some GOP senators spanning the ideological spectrum from Katie Boyd Britt (Alabama) to Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) have lobbied the Trump administration to reconsider its cuts or pauses to federal grants that support biomedical research and labs, or for programs supporting Native American tribes.”
- “It’s a humbling turn of events for a body that has traditionally prized its power of the purse. The aggressive move to cut spending unilaterally “negates Congress’s hard-won power over appropriations,” said Jessica Riedl, a budget expert with the conservative Manhattan Institute think tank, who predicted lawmakers were “afraid” to more forcefully grab back their appropriations power given Trump’s popularity with the GOP base.”
- “The use of impoundment could create a situation where lawmakers who are in good standing with the Trump administration have a better shot at restoring their funds, posing a potential conflict of interest, experts said.”
- “While some Republicans ask politely for their money back, Democrats have decried the pauses as illegal. “Once again: if Donald Trump or Elon Musk want to gut funding that’s creating good-paying jobs all across America, they can take their case to Congress and win the votes they need to do it. Defying the constitution to unilaterally rip away your tax dollars is not how this works,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-Washington), the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a statement.”