Republicans Say They’re Sick Of Finding Out About Donald Trump’s Plans Through Twitter And The Media
Senate Republicans are reportedly fed up with being blindsided by President Donald Trump as he continues to lay out his plans and initiatives on Twitter, rather than consulting lawmakers. According to The Hill, the president doesn’t wait for advice before making decisions on major issues, like who he is releasing or nominating for key positions, and what he plans to do about health care and border security.
Lately, GOP leaders aren’t being consulted or alerted to major initiatives from the Trump administration, the report claims. For instance, the president decided to try to brand the GOP as the party of health care, but he didn’t get the buy-in from Senate lawmakers before he made the announcement.
As noted, this led to a period of chaos, where the White House was pointing to the Senate to get new legislation drafted, while the Senate was looking at the White House for direction. Ultimately, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell shot down the idea and Trump ultimately made an about-face on his health care plans.
Trump has also threatened to close the southern border, another move that GOP leaders were reportedly not prepared for.
Likewise, the report stated that Trump has failed to discuss his plans to nominate certain controversial individuals to key roles. Most recently, Trump planned to nominate Herman Cain for the Federal Reserve Board, a move that is opposed by not only Democrats but several Republican leaders.
Trump also nominated Stephen Moore for the Federal Reserve Board, which The Hill wrote was a controversial decision because of his unpaid taxes and history of spending millions of dollars through his conservative Club for Growth to attack Republicans and Democrats.
Cain to withdraw https://t.co/XOuuviILit
— Dr. Jeffrey Guterman (@JeffreyGuterman) April 12, 2019
One Republican senator, John Cornyn from Texas, told reporters that he wants “more communication and collaboration” from the president. Normally, he says, there is more interaction between the president and GOP leaders.
“When names are floated, you guys come around and ask, ‘What about this person? What about that person?'” he said.
“This is a nontraditional presidency, and the president now figures he doesn’t need a lot of advisers because he wants to do it himself. But there’s a lot of informal mechanisms and avenues for sharing information that are not really working very well now.”
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, agreed with Cornyn’s sentiment.
McConnell also echoed Cornyn’s words, saying “I think that’s good advice” while speaking to reporters.
“There are two things the administration ought to consider before nominating someone. First, obviously, background check. And second, [the] likelihood of confirmation,” he said.
