‘A 5 Alarm F-ing Hearth’: Trump’s Federal Funding Freeze Is Jolting Some Dems Into Struggle Mode

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WASHINGTON ― Democrats on Capitol Hill are fuming about President Donald Trump’s Monday evening announcement that he’s freezing all federal grants and loans, a shocking motion that seems as unconstitutional as it’s dangerous to hundreds of thousands of People.

In addition they appear to have been jolted awake in a manner they haven’t been in months. For the primary time since Trump’s win in November, there’s a whiff of resistance again within the air.

“This is a 5 alarm f-ing fire,” Rep. Sean Casten (D-Sick.) stated Tuesday on social media. “We work hard not to shut government down in Congress. Trump has decided he can do by fiat out of petulance and blind allegiance to the Project 2025 crowd. You either enable him or stand up to him in this moment. There is no other option.”

Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who caucuses with Democrats, all however instructed his colleagues to step it up of their function as federal lawmakers or go residence.

“What happened last night is the most direct assault on the authority of Congress, I believe, in the history of the United States,” King stated at a Tuesday media occasion. “If this stands, then Congress may as well adjourn. The implications of this is the executive can pick and choose which congressional enactments they will execute.”

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) had a extra blunt tackle the president’s declare he was solely quickly halting all federal grant spending: “Bullshit.”

“What happened last night is the most direct assault on the authority of Congress, I believe, in the history of the United States,” stated Sen. Angus King (I-Maine).

Trump’s sweeping motion, directed by the Workplace of Administration and Finances, is so vaguely written that it’s not even clear which applications, if any, are exempted, that means billions if not trillions in federal {dollars} will cease flowing to even probably the most very important of applications all around the nation. Some already affected by the freeze embrace Head Begin, important medical analysis and even Medicaid, which has reportedly seen its portals go down in all 50 states.

As anticipated, a federal decide quickly blocked Trump’s motion late Tuesday.

The president has signed a lot of damaging govt orders in his first week again within the White Home, together with his mass firing of unbiased inspectors common at a number of federal businesses, his mass firing of Justice Division attorneys who beforehand labored on Trump’s prosecutions and his reinstatement of a ban on transgender individuals serving within the navy.

However his OMB directive is a lot broader in scope and has the potential to inflict ache on so many susceptible individuals (and is so unlawful) that it’s landed in a different way with Democrats. They’re exhibiting indicators, even when simply early indicators, that they’ve received a struggle in them once more.

Practically two dozen Democrats on Tuesday opposed affirmation of Trump’s transportation secretary nominee, Sean Duffy, who is comparatively noncontroversial. Some explicitly stated their purpose was due to the president’s freeze on federal cash.

“I was ready to confirm Sean Duffy to lead the Department of Transportation, but I cannot vote for him after the chaos President Trump has unleashed with his order to pause critical federal funding to Nevada,” Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) stated in an announcement.

“The funding being held up by President Trump includes support for Nevada’s seniors, veterans, and families ― not to mention grants for job-creating transportation projects statewide,” stated Cortez Masto. “Working families deserve real answers from the Trump Administration about how they are going to fix the mess they’ve created.”

“Heading into this week, I was prepared to vote to confirm Rep. Duffy. Our conversations were productive and encouraging, and I thought he was sufficiently qualified to serve as Transportation Secretary,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Sick.) stated in an announcement. “But President Trump’s sweeping order to freeze federal grant funding … is illegal and hurting Americans in red and blue states alike, and I cannot vote to confirm a Transportation Secretary while transportation funding is being unlawfully withheld.”

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) instructed reporters that his vote towards Duffy was due to ”this govt order that’s creating chaos and confusion” inside the Division of Transportation, amongst different businesses.

“So we can no longer do business as usual when the president is recklessly and reprehensibly seizing the power of the purse unlawfully,” he stated.

It may not appear to be a profound present of power that 22 of 47 Senate Democrats voted towards Duffy’s nomination. However contemplate that only a day earlier than, on Monday, the Senate voted 97-0 on a procedural step to advance Duffy’s nomination. As an alternative of simply going alongside to get alongside, senators are rediscovering their capacity to ship a message with votes.

“You either enable him or stand up to him in this moment. There is no other option.”

– Rep. Sean Casten (D-Sick.)

Democrats additionally banded collectively Tuesday to block a Republican-led invoice to sanction Worldwide Felony Courtroom officers. Just one Democrat, Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.), voted with the GOP to advance the invoice.

In the meantime, some Democrats are hinting at broader plans to jam Senate enterprise.

“While President Trump illegally pauses federal funding from Congress, the Senate must not be business as usual,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) stated Tuesday on social media. “We do not consent to this lawless power grab.”

To make sure, Democrats have little management over what Senate Republicans need to do within the subsequent two years, at the very least. They will filibuster laws in the event that they stick collectively, however with a 47-53 minority, Democrats must win over at the very least 4 Republicans each time they need to forestall affirmation of any of Trump’s govt or judicial nominees.

It doesn’t imply they’re helpless, although. Even within the minority, in the event that they keep unified and have the desire to do it, Democrats may make an actual mess of how the Senate features and does (or doesn’t) advance Trump’s priorities.

Democrats may, for instance, vote towards each so-called “cloture” movement ― a procedural step that ends debate on no matter enterprise is pending on the Senate ground. They might vote towards giving unanimous consent any time a nominee or invoice is prepared for ground motion. They might demand recorded votes on each Senate motion that requires a vote, as an alternative of agreeing to a fast voice vote and shifting alongside.

None of those steps would essentially forestall Republicans from pushing by the payments or nominees that Trump needs. But when Democrats did this on the common, it might drag out the method of getting something performed by hours, days, presumably weeks.

"The Senate must not be business as usual,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
“The Senate must not be business as usual,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

ALLISON ROBBERT/AFP via Getty Images

Progressive advocacy groups, too, seem to be treating Trump’s OMB directive as a renewed call to action for anyone who cares about protecting democracy.

“If Trump gets away with this, every law Congress passes becomes optional for future presidents. We can’t let that happen,” said Ezra Levin, co-founder and co-executive director of Indivisible, a progressive movement formed in resistance to Trump. “This is a revolution, not a memo ― and it’s time to meet the moment with relentless, uncompromising pushback.”

“We will not stand by while this administration blatantly tries to take away the freedoms and programs that support families and strengthen our communities,” vowed Lupe Rodriguez, executive director at the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice.

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It’s too early to tell if Senate Democrats have it in them to mount a real resistance to Trump’s extreme plans over the next four years. But one way to gauge the fire in their bellies is how they vote in the coming days and weeks on more of the president’s Cabinet picks. And at least one of their colleagues in the House will be watching.

“If you are a Senator right now confirming ANY Trump nominee who will not unambiguously defend their oath to the Constitution even if that means standing up to Trump you are completely misunderstanding the risk of this moment,” Casten stated on social media.

Igor Bobic contributed reporting.

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