Trump faces growing bipartisan pushback in Congress
Amid Trump overreach, unpopularity, some Republicans join Democrats to deliver setbacks to Trump, GOP leadership on Venezuela, health care subsidies.
As the Trump administration tried to spin ICE’s killing of an American mother in Minnesota, five Senate Republicans joined Democrats today to advance a bill that would require Trump to seek Congressional approval for further military action in Venezuela; in the House, 17 GOP House members joined all the House Democrats to vote to renew expired Affordable Healthcare Act health care subsidies for three years.
Politico reports:
A cadre of congressional Republicans dealt President Donald Trump significant defeats Thursday — a series of rebukes that demonstrate how his iron grip on Capitol Hill has weakened at the start of a critical election year.
The defiance kicked off in the Senate with a stunning vote, backed by five GOP senators, to move ahead with a measure that would constrain Trump on a matter he has presented as a signature triumph — his military intervention in Venezuela. Later in the day, 17 House Republicans joined with Democrats to rescue Obamacare subsidies Trump has repeatedly railed against.
And in a surprise move, senators of both parties agreed unanimously to erect a plaque honoring the officers who fought the mob at the Capitol on Jan, 6, 2021 — breaking from Trump’s false narrative about that day.
One House Republican, Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said he was persuaded to vote for an upcoming House vote on the Venezuela war powers resolution because of the “ugly”Trump response to the GOP Senators who voted for it. Politico:
The House is on track to take up a similar vote later this month after Democrats introduced a companion measure Thursday and expressed cautious optimism that more Republicans might vote to constrain the president.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said he was already “inclined” to support the war powers resolution after hearing from top administration officials in briefings this week and after hearing about Trump’s threats against Greenland. But he said the president’s attack on the five GOP senators Thursday cemented his position.
“Reading the ugly response to those senators sort of convinced me to vote yes,” he said.
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Thanks for this Laura.