Four Republicans could control the 53-47 Republican majority in the Senate, potentially blocking President Trump's legislative agenda if Republicans choose to vote as a bloc, insiders say. told the Post.
This group reportedly formed a team The withdrawal of Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz's judicial nomination also includes Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, who was ousted as Senate Republican leader after a series of freezes last year. Nevertheless, he will remain a powerful figure in the chamber until at least 2027.
“I think McConnell is in some kind of bad mood and has been waging a jihad against his own party for three years, so this could be a big problem,” one Senate Republican official said. Ta.
McConnell, 82, typically carried out Trump's legislative agenda during Trump's first term, but the two have been at odds over some issues, including Ukraine. The official also noted that as the next chairman of the Appropriations and Defense subcommittee, McConnell could include Ukraine funds in any spending bill he wants.
As majority leader, McConnell often clashed with Trump. After the 2020 election, he called him “Fools” and “despicable people”. President Trump, never one to shy away from fighting back, has long derided the most powerful Senate Republicans as “old, broken crows.”
Mr. McConnell offered an olive branch, at least for now.
“I will do everything in my power to help the new administration succeed,” he said shortly after Trump's decisive victory in the presidential election. A representative for McConnell declined to comment.
Mr. Trump may also face resistance from two moderate Republican women, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Both companies have long been congressional organizations with strong domestic bases and have little benefit from Mr. Trump or his brand.
Both men voted to impeach Trump in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 riot in the nation's capital and were decisive votes to block Trump's repeal of Obamacare in 2017. And they worked with McConnell to block Gaetz's nomination for attorney general. Trump actively supported a 2022 primary against Murkowski, but it was unsuccessful.
“Mr. Collins lives in Maine, a state that voted 7 points for Kamala Harris, and is notoriously independent in her actions, making her reelection very difficult. “Murkowski is a conservative, but she doesn't seem to like Donald Trump. She's a thorn in his side for no reason at all,” said Republican strategist Ryan Gardusky.
Another Republican insider said he expected the relationship between the two sides to be “difficult.”
Rounding out the four is Sen.-elect John Curtis of Utah, a moderate Republican in the mold of Trump's nemesis, former Beehive Sen. Mitt Romney. During his time in Congress, Mr. Curtis was a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus and chairman of the Conservative Caucus on Climate Change, which would put him at odds with Mr. Trump, who is known as a climate change skeptic.
Mr. Trump also endorsed his chief opponent, Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs, and Mr. Curtis received enthusiastic support. Romney's support.
“I'm not going to say an unconditional yes to anything he wants,” Curtis warned in a preliminary debate in June.
Representatives for Mr. Collins, Mr. Murkowski and Mr. Curtis did not respond to requests for comment from The Post.
