Republicans resist Trump as Senate postpones vote on compensation fund and budget package
The Senate’s reluctance to advance a Trump-linked package this week highlighted rare pushback from within the Republican Party, with GOP lawmakers reluctant to endorse key demands attached to a larger budget push, the Associated Press reported. The episode also left Trump’s self-imposed June 1 deadline farther out, according to the reporting, as the chamber postponed a vote until Congress returns next month.
At the center of the clash was Trump’s demand for a proposed $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” compensation fund, framed by the White House as support for people Trump said were wrongly prosecuted in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack. The dispute escalated after the proposal drew sharp criticism from senators who said the plan was politically and morally unacceptable.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., questioned the rationale for restitution in the first place. “Under what circumstances would it ever make sense to provide restitution for people who were either pled guilty or were found guilty in a court of law?” Tillis said, according to the Associated Press account of the episode. Tillis also characterized the White House move as a “payout for punks,” and Trump responded by accusing Tillis in a lengthy social media post of “screwing the Republican Party,” the report said.
Other Senate Republicans echoed the concern that the compensation idea was too toxic to carry. GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who the report described as usually keeping his own counsel, issued a statement after Tillis’s criticism. McConnell said, “So the nation’s top law enforcement official is asking for a slush fund to pay people who assault cops? Utterly stupid, morally wrong — Take your pick,” the report said.
In parallel, the political effect was immediate for the larger congressional timetable. The Associated Press reported that the Senate’s refusal left in shambles, for now, the GOP priority of passing a roughly $70 billion budget package designed to fuel Trump’s immigration and deportation operations for the remainder of his presidential term, through 2029. The Senate vote was postponed until Congress resumes next month, the report said, pushing back Trump’s June 1 deadline to have the package on his desk.
The friction in the Senate reflected not only the compensation fund fight but the broader climate inside the party after Trump-backed primary wins, the Associated Press reported. The outlet described the week as one in which senators became increasingly upset at what it portrayed as Trump’s pattern of aggressive demands, and it said the episode underscored a potential mismatch between Trump’s expectations and the GOP lawmakers’ willingness to confront him.
After a closed-door meeting, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the talks with the administration did not resolve the issue. Thune said acting Attorney General Todd Blanche met for hours behind closed doors with senators over the compensation fund and left without a resolution. Thune later said the discussion likely left the administration’s team with “an appreciation for the depth of feeling on the issue,” according to the Associated Press.
The episode unfolded as some Republican lawmakers privately and publicly suggested they were rethinking what they stood to gain by accommodating Trump. Retiring Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., warned against creating a party that is “totally loyal” but powerless, saying, “You don’t want to have a totally loyal party that’s in the minority. And that’s maybe where we’re headed,” the Associated Press reported. The outlet tied that sentiment to the idea that the party’s internal discipline can fray quickly as lawmakers look toward general elections.
The report also pointed to shifting attitudes among Republicans who had backed major Trump challenges before. It said that Sen. Bill Cassidy, who voted to convict Trump in his Senate impeachment trial after Jan. 6, lost his primary to a Trump-backed challenger and then returned to Washington days later more eager to criticize Trump, including by joining Democrats in voting to rein in the war in Iran. The Associated Press described Trump’s Texas endorsements as another flashpoint and said the party’s discontent extended beyond the Senate.
In the House, signs of GOP unease also emerged around legislation connected to the compensation fight and around efforts to curb war-making authority. The Associated Press reported that Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., joined Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi in introducing legislation aimed at blocking taxpayer dollars from being used for Trump’s proposed “anti-weaponization” compensation fund. It said Fitzpatrick also drew Trump’s ire after the president complained publicly that the congressman “likes voting against Trump” and warned, “You know what happens with that?” Fitzpatrick said in response, “People have the right to free speech in this country,” and added, “But what we do here is all about policy,” according to the report.
On the Iran war powers front, the Associated Press said GOP leaders pulled a war powers resolution at the last minute when it became clear Republicans lacked the votes to defeat it, and it also said House Speaker Mike Johnson postponed a vote that would have addressed the resolution after enough House Republicans broke ranks to signal support. The outlet also quoted Bacon saying Republicans’ pushback to the war could be resolved if Trump consulted Congress rather than “threatening, bully and yelling,” saying, “It don’t work,” according to the report.