The Truth About Congressional Republicans

For all their quiet qualms they will do less than nothing to oppose Trump.

Photo by Harold Mendoza on Unsplash

The most interesting moment in the Fletcher School’s event with Senator Chris Coons last week was when Coons described how his GOP colleagues sounded very bipartisan at the Munich Security Conference, espousing support for Ukraine and the transatlantic relationship. At least, they sounded that way behind closed doors. The moment Donald Trump and JD Vance pivoted towards publicly attacking Europe in general and Ukraine in particular, however, Coons noted that his Republican colleagues either shut up or parroted president Trump.

This dichotomy extends to how GOP members of Congress are reacting to Trump’s radical policy shifts and unleashing of DOGE to wreak havoc across the federal government. Almost since his inaugural, some Republicans have voiced concerns about how Trump has governed to date — either anonymously to reporters or behind closed doors to the Trump White House.¹

Consider this sampling of headlines:

• CNN, February 11th: “Inside the GOP’s careful pushback to Musk’s DOGE effort.”

• Wall Street Journal, February 17th: “Republican Senators Try to Curb Influence of Trump Tariff Hawk.”

• Politico, February 18th: “GOP flinches at Musk cuts.”

• Columbus Dispatch, February 20th: “Ohio GOP Rep. Balderson says Trump's executive orders 'getting out of control.'“

• Politico, February 20th, “The private GOP panic over the slash-and-burn DOGE firings.”

Let’s just quote from that last Politico story:

A growing number of congressional Republicans are desperately trying to back-channel with White House officials as President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency ramps up its slash-and-burn firings of federal workers.

GOP lawmakers unleashed a frantic flurry of calls and texts after federal agencies undertook the latest firings this past weekend, with Republicans particularly worried about cuts affecting public safety and health roles….

For the most part, Republican members are publicly cheering the administration’s push to slash the federal government, which is being led by billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk with Trump’s blessing. But privately, many are feeling helpless to counter the meat-ax approach that has been embraced so far, with lawmakers especially concerned about the dismissal of military veterans working in federal agencies as well as USDA employees handling the growing bird flu outbreak affecting poultry and dairy farms.

“I thought we were supposed to be in a new era of meritocracy. Not the indiscriminate firing of people,” said one Republican congressional aide granted anonymity to speak candidly.

Whoa, that sounds pretty serious! Could Trump be facing an imminent GOP revolt?

The answer, unfortunately, is no.

I am old enough to remember Trump’s first term, when there was no shortage of GOP elected officials stating their qualms about Trump when granted anonymity — and saying nothing negative when on the record.

More importantly, House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole has been very candid about his party’s congressional wing willing abrogating power to Trump. Back in January, in response to the first wave of Trump’s funding freezes, he told CNN he was cool with Congress not protecting its constitutional prerogatives:

Cole, chairman of the House Appropriations committee, told CNN’s Manu Raju on Tuesday that he doesn’t “have a problem” with the White House decision to pause federal aid. It was a startling reaction because members of congressional spending committees often agree on this much: Their own power to wield the purse.

“I’m not a lawyer, I can’t pontificate on what’s legal but I suspect what’s happening is what most Republicans would be supportive of,” he said. “Appropriations is not a law, it’s the directive of Congress.”

Cole’s assertion would be amusing if they did not have real-world consequences. Literally, the first words on the House of Representatives’ own webpage explaining appropriations are “a law of Congress.”

That brings us to yesterday. Politico’s Jennifer Scholtes and Lisa Kashinsky reported on congressional efforts to avoid a government shutdown. Cole’s remarks were extraordinary in their candor:

Top appropriators on both sides of the Capitol reported good progress Monday night toward a bipartisan deal on overall spending totals for the military and non-defense programs, with a shutdown deadline looming on March 14. But House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole said Democrats’ insistence on adding conditions to stop Trump from withholding funding that Congress already appropriated could foil a final agreement.

“I think we've moved a long way on the numbers. We're very close. I would say essentially there,” Cole told reporters. “The real question is conditions on presidential action. And look, there's no way a Republican Senate and Republican House are going to limit what a Republican president can do.”

Republicans can pass a funding deal in the House without Democratic support, but they'll need at least seven Democrats to back it in the Senate. And Cole acknowledged it would be “very difficult” to pass a stopgap funding patch even through the House with only Republican votes. But if House Republicans could rally a majority of their conference to vote for a funding bill in the face of a Democratic ultimatum over Trump’s authority, it would be easier to blame Democrats for spurring a funding lapse, the Oklahoma Republican added. (emphasis added)

Cole gets points for honesty I suppose. But let’s be clear about what he is saying: even though the president has exceeded his constitutional restrictions, Republicans in Congress will not be concerned about losing their institutional prerogatives. They will capitulate to Trump’s every whim without acting like a check or a balance on him.

So spare me the stories about Republicans expressing concerns behind closed doors. They have made their bed.

1. The wave of raucous town hall meetings in safe GOP districts has caused some Representatives to adjust their tune as well.