GOP lawmakers staying silent as Trump 'runs roughshod over Congress'

29 January

Many Democrats were furious when President Donald Trump, on Tuesday, January 28, issued an executive order freezing federal government funds. Trump, they argued, had no right to do that — as the federal funds had already been authorized by Congress.

U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan agreed with them, temporarily blocking Trump's funding freeze.

But according to Politico reporters Jordain Carney and Meredith Lee Hill, GOP lawmakers remained silent even though Trump was undermining their authority. And some flat-out defended the freeze.

In an article published by Politico on January 29, Carney and Hill report, "President Donald Trump has declared an all-out war on congressional power. And his allies on Capitol Hill aren't doing much to fend off the invasion. From firing a slate of inspectors general to changing citizenship qualifications to delaying a ban on the TikTok app, the president is running roughshod over Congress in his first week back in office. The effort culminated Monday night with a budget office memo freezing 'all federal financial assistance' pending a review by (Trump) Administration political appointees."

Carney and Hill note that although the freeze "represents a frontal assault on the legislative branch's core constitutional power to raise and spend federal funds," many GOP lawmakers "quickly fell in line" with Trump.

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minnesota) defended the freeze, saying, "You need to understand, he was elected to shake up the status quo." And Emmer argued that Trump is doing "exactly what he was elected to do."

"Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) also downplayed the freeze as a 'preliminary step,' describing it as 'a normal practice at the beginning of the administration until they have an opportunity to review how the money is being spent,'" Carney and Hill report. "He later called for 'additional clarity' from the White House."

Read Politico's full article at this link.

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