Trump tests Congress with candidates | News, Sports, Jobs

WASHINGTON — In the wake of a resounding election victory that saw President-elect Donald Trump and Republicans fulfill what they say is their mandate to govern, an uneasy political question emerges: Will there be room for dissent in the U.S. Congress?

Trump has been challenging the Senate for daring to challenge him before his inauguration, particularly on the nominations of Matt Gaetz, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other controversial picks for Cabinet and administration positions.

The promise of unified government, with the Republican Party capturing the White House and the GOP’s majorities in the House and Senate, is giving way to a more complex political reality as congressional leaders confront anew what it means to go along with Trump’s agenda.

“This will be a red alert moment for American democracy,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said on CNN after Trump nominated Gaetz for attorney general.

Trump returns to the White House at the peak of his political power, having won both the Electoral College and his party’s popular vote for the first time in decades. The trio in Washington presents a tantalizing political opportunity for Republicans; it paves the way for a universe of political and policy priorities, from tax cuts to mass deportations to the evisceration of regulatory and federal bureaucracy; In addition, there are Trump’s vows to take revenge and prosecute those he perceives. enemies and forgive those who attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

But for Congress, this is also a potentially existential moment; It’s a moment that tests whether its status as a co-equal branch of the U.S. government can withstand a second Trump administration.

“One possible future for Congress is for it to become a rubber stamp,” said Phillip Wallach, a scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute who has written extensively about Congress.

Wallach said the threat to Congress is on his mind, but he believes it will be more pronounced if Republicans win a larger majority.

In fact, although the House’s numbers may be lower and the Senate’s 53-seat advantage is greater than the simple majority needed to confirm nominees, this cannot be seen as a mandate.

He also said of elected MPs that “they are not cowards”. “There’s no reason for them to turn themselves into doormats.”

A Washington that has changed since Trump’s first term. Congress was purged of his strongest critics. At the same time, the Supreme Court has moved dramatically to the right, with three Trump-appointed justices and a majority decision over the summer granting the president blanket immunity.

Trump’s Cabinet picks pose the biggest early test for Congress.

Trump’s pick of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) as secretary of state is expected to receive broad support, including from Democrats, while others like Kennedy, Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense are drawing more support. examination.

The selection of Gaetz, an ardent Trump loyalist who has talked of a wholesale insurrection at the Justice Department, is even more troubling for senators because of the House ethics investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and illegal drug use. He denied the allegations, but submitted his resignation from Congress as soon as he was nominated, effectively closing the investigation.

Senator Dick Durbin, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will consider Gaetz’s nomination, called on the House to “preserve their report and share it with the panel.”

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the Republican member of the judiciary committee, said he expected “any and all information” about the nominees to be released.

New Senate GOP Leader John Thune said confirming Trump’s nominations will be a priority next year and senators “should expect an aggressive schedule until their nominees are confirmed.”