WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans are growing frustrated with President Donald Trump, citing a series of poorly timed White House decisions that have disrupted their legislative plans, sparked internal conflicts and delayed major bills.
One flashpoint came last month when the administration proposed a $1.776 billion anti-weaponization fund. The announcement drew immediate condemnation from Democrats and some Republicans, forcing GOP leaders to postpone a vote on their reconciliation bill.
The delay held until acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said publicly that the compensation fund would not go forward. Its rollout just days before a scheduled reconciliation vote-a-rama had given Democrats an opening to force difficult votes in the Senate, exposing vulnerable Republicans to fresh attacks and drowning out the immigration enforcement funding Republicans had written into the bill.
Earlier this month, Trump's decision to name Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence triggered bipartisan backlash and contributed to the failure of an extension for Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The lapse marked the first expiration of the authority in its nearly 18-year history. Lawmakers remain at a standoff over renewing the surveillance program, which intelligence agencies consider vital.
A third friction point: Trump's last-minute endorsement of Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate race over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, who had already locked up support from much of the Republican conference. The move deepened tensions and angered several lawmakers who had committed to backing Cornyn's re-election.
Privately, many Republicans say the White House has repeatedly undercut their efforts at critical legislative moments. One House Republican, speaking anonymously to discuss internal party sentiment, said Trump shows little regard for the legislative branch and that his actions have been consistently unhelpful for a Congress trying to pass bills or keep federal agencies running. The lawmaker said White House staff appear to choose the worst possible moments for their announcements.
A second House Republican said Trump's determination and confidence are his strengths, but his chief weakness is pressing forward without recognizing Congress's role in a republican form of government. The lawmaker pointed to last year's passage of the GOP reconciliation bill as a model of close coordination between the White House and Capitol Hill—a contrast, the Republican said, to the random decisions and endorsements now causing widespread frustration.
A third House Republican was blunter: the damage these decisions do to legislative progress is self-evident, complicating the path for Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson to move the party's agenda forward.
