McConnell in a pickle after GOP senator blasts Trump’s executive orders as ‘unconstitutional slop’
President Donald Trump on Saturday signed four executive orders that may provide economic relief for some Americans as Congress remains at an impasse.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) backed Trump’s moves, despite their dubious legal grounding.
“Struggling Americans need action now. Since Democrats have sabotaged backroom talks with absurd demands that would not help working people, I support President Trump exploring his options to get unemployment benefits and other relief to the people who need them the most,” McConnell said in a statement.
However, McConnell’s caucus is not united on the subject.
A member of both the Senate Judiciary and Finance Committees, Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE), put out a statement blasting the move.
“The pen-and-phone theory of executive lawmaking is unconstitutional slop,” Sasse charged.
“President Obama did not have the power to unilaterally rewrite immigration law with DACA, and President Trump does not have the power to unilaterally rewrite the payroll tax law. Under the Constitution, that power belongs to the American people acting through their members of Congress,” he continued.
