Republican senators warned on Wednesday that President Donald Trump is holding up his own agenda – and potentially jeopardizing electoral victories in the fall – by derailing Congress’s plans with unrealistic demands.
“It’s not helpful,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski told CNN’s Manu Raju of Trump’s recent moves to stall his own director of national intelligence nominee and refuse to sign a popular bipartisan housing bill over his insistence that the Senate pass his signature voter ID bill.
“If he chooses to hold up his own agenda because he wants action on the Save Act, that’s, I guess, his call. It is not helpful to him. It’s not helpful to the country, and it’s not moving the needle. If you don’t have the votes, sir, you don’t have the votes,” she said.
Pressed on if Trump is harming GOP chances of keeping the majority in the midterms, she responded, “I’m just going to say I don’t think it helps. People want us to, to be able to deliver on priorities, absolutely, and they want to focus on things that they’re talking about back home.”
“When they see the internal chaos that’s going on, I don’t think it helps, I don’t think it helps those who are, are up for election. I don’t think it helps our colleagues,” she said.
Sen. Kevin Cramer, a Trump ally, said the president could be more helpful in driving a clear message to voters.
“It would be helpful for him and his followers to hear about these successes that he’s supportive of, much like the working family tax cuts, much like funding ICE and border protection, you know, obviously, much like a good, a good housing bill, taking a victory lap has benefits for future legislation, for sure,” he said.