Congressional Cowards is a weekly collection highlighting the worst Donald Trump defenders on Capitol Hill, who refuse to criticize him—regardless of how disgraceful or lawless his actions.
As Donald Trump’s mass purge of federal workers, freeze of presidency contracts, and chaotic tariff insurance policies threaten to spike inflation, collapse the job market, and ship the nation right into a recession, Republican lawmakers are bending over backward to defend the president’s actions— at the same time as they admit his cutthroat strikes are hurting People.
A number of GOP hard-liners stated that People ought to suck up the financial ache within the wake of cuts made by Trump and his co-President Elon Musk’s so-called Division of Authorities Effectivity. And Trump’s inflationary commerce insurance policies will on the finish of the day minimize federal spending, they argue—so take care of it.
Home Majority Whip Tom Emmer stated in an look on CNBC that it’s crucial for People to pay extra in order that Trump can get the commerce warfare he has at all times dreamed of.
“There could also be some short-time disruption that is going to end in some adverse impacts, no query,” Emmer stated. “However that is the purpose. In case you or others suppose that that is going to by some means cut back the president’s recognition, suppose once more.”
After all, polling exhibits that if Trump doesn’t get inflation down, he might see a backlash. His approval score is already underwater simply six weeks into his time period, with People saying Trump has not achieved sufficient to decrease prices.
But Emmer isn’t the one Home member who’s defending Trump’s inflationary insurance policies.
“We’ve got obtained to get our fiscal home so as in Washington, and if which means short-term ache for the nation, then we’re gonna should stroll by way of that collectively to make sure that we put ourselves on a fiscal prudent path going into the following 10 years,” Florida’s Greg Steube stated in an look on Fox Enterprise, after he was requested by sycophantic host Maria Bartiromo whether or not he’s nervous that Trump’s insurance policies will trigger a recession.
Rep. Mark Alford, who just lately confronted indignant constituents at a city corridor in his Missouri district, stated everybody needs to be prepared to pay extra due to Trump’s insurance policies.
“All of us have a task to play on this to right-size our authorities, and if I’ve to pay just a little bit extra for one thing, I’m all for it to get America proper once more, to start out whittling down this $36.5 trillion price of debt that we now have,” Alford advised CNN, including that he thinks his constituents might be prepared to pay extra for on a regular basis gadgets—despite the fact that combatting inflation was the chief purpose Trump received in 2024.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma made comparable noises.
“Are the American folks able to get the nation again on monitor and do what it takes to make that occur? Completely, “ he advised CNN. “It’s going to have an effect on a number of corporations. We’re going to have to regulate some costs for it, however the president is bored with folks profiting from our nation.”
Different Republicans went on to defend Musk’s cuts to the federal workforce, that are already having a adverse impression on the financial system.
A report launched Thursday from the outplacement agency Challenger, Grey & Christmas, discovered that U.S. employers minimize 172,017 jobs in February, the best variety of February job cuts since 2009 when the nation was within the midst of the Nice Recession. The agency stated that employers cited DOGE’s effort to slash the federal workforce and federal spending as the highest purpose for the cuts.
That didn’t cease Rep. Randy Weber of Texas from writing a poem praising Musk—and studying it aloud at a closed-door assembly Musk held with Home Republicans on Wednesday.
“Elon works from daybreak to nightfall, after which it dawns on all of us, he’s found out what’s loopy flawed. We must always have identified all of it alongside,” Weber’s cringeworthy poem stated, in accordance to The Washington Put up.
Some lawmakers jumped to make excuses for Musk, despite the fact that they admit his cuts to the federal workforce have been shoddy and chaotic.
“He stated, like, , there’s going to be errors alongside the best way. He has stated that publicly earlier than too. After which when these are recognized, they are going to be corrected,” Rep. Russell Fry of South Carolina advised CNN.
And a few Republicans have been even attempting to preemptively spin Trump and Musk’s adverse impression on the job market, with Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida saying federal workforce jobs did not actually matter anyway.
“The rationale why the job progress numbers are down is as a result of authorities employees are those who’re beginning to lose their jobs on the federal degree,” Donalds stated on CNN.
The same old suspects have predictably criticized Trump and Musk’s insurance policies, however didn’t say how or even when they’d attempt to cease them.
“I believe you need to take into consideration the financial impacts by way of inflation, I believe you need to have a look at progress within the financial system and the way that’s impacted by all of this, these are actual points, and so the administration goes to should take, for my part, as they consider a few of these coverage choices, the macroeconomic impression,” Senate Majority Chief John Thune stated on CNN.
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine additionally advised NBC Information that she’s “involved.”
“I am very involved concerning the tariffs going into impact,” Collins stated. “Maine and Canada’s financial system are built-in. A lot of our lobster, blueberries are processed in Canada after which come again over. We’ve got a paper mill in northern Maine that is proper on the border.”
We actually marvel what degree of concern would trigger Collins to truly do one thing about her get together’s chief.
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