GOP defections in ‘vote-a-rama' reflect rising midterm heat |
GOP defections in ‘vote-a-rama’ reflect rising midterm heat
▪ Votes highlight GOP breaks with Trump
▪ Trump sows doubt as California counts votes
▪ Hezbollah torpedoes Lebanon ceasefire
▪ Trump says Pulte won’t stay long as DNI
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Marathon votes in the Senate that continued overnight offered a clear sign of the political pressures facing Republicans as the midterm season kicks into high gear.
On Thursday, Senate Republicans faced a series of tough votes as part of a “vote-a-rama” on immigration funding, which allowed senators to propose unlimited amendments.
The underlying bill ultimately passed after 4 a.m., but not before senators were put on the record about President Trump’s ballroom funding, potential plans for a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund and his controversial appointment of mortgage chief Bill Pulte as the director of national intelligence.
The voting series kicked off Thursday morning, with the Senate spending nearly three hours debating Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s(D-N.Y.) amendment to prohibit the Justice Department (DOJ) from establishing a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund for MAGA allies — a proposal acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said this week the administration would not pursue.
The amendment ultimately failed, 49-50, but three of the GOP’s most vulnerable incumbents — Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Dan Sullivan (Alaska) and Jon Husted (Ohio) — joined Democrats in supporting the amendment.
Husted’s defection is especially notable, since the freshman senator rarely bucks his party on policy but now finds himself in one of the toughest Senate races of this cycle, facing former Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown (D), who was unseated in 2024 after 18 years in the Senate.
The vote came less than a day after a new Fox News poll found the incumbent senator trailing Brown by 8 points in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup.
Later in the day, Collins, Sullivan and Husted were joined by three more GOP colleagues — Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Jerry Moran (Kan.) and Thom Tillis (N.C.) — in backing a Democratic amendment to block the construction of Trump’s 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom unless Congress authorizes the project. The proposal still failed, falling short of the necessary 60-vote threshold.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who helped sink Schumer’s amendment, introduced his own amendment to block the anti-weaponization fund, which got a vote early Friday morning. It was backed by Collins, Murkowski, Sullivan, Husted, Tillis and Cassidy, but again fell short of 60 votes.
Cassidy, who failed to advance in his primary against a Trump-backed challenger, was also joined by Collins and Murkowski in supporting a Democratic amendment Thursday to bar Pulte from serving as temporary director of national intelligence while he also serves as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA).
Murkowski was the only Republican to ultimately vote against the the nearly $70 billion reconciliation bill, which funds immigration enforcement agencies through fiscal 2029, sending it to the House for passage next week.
Sullivan and Collins are also on the frontline of the GOP battle to maintain the Senate majority. Sullivan is facing a formidable opponent in former Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska), a moderate who has maintained an edge in both polling and fundraising, while Collins is facing a high-profile race against Democrat Graham Platner, a veteran who has maintained a lead in polls despite embarrassing revelations about his past behavior.
The defections come as Trump’s approval ratings have deteriorated and Americans have grown increasingly frustrated with rising gas prices and a prolonged war in Iran, particularly among the key constituency of independents.
A handful of Republicans are also breaking with Trump on the other side of the Capitol.
The House Armed Services Committee adopted a provision for the National Defense Authorization Act that would demand the Pentagon inform Congress why senior military officers were getting dismissed — a clear rebuke to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has fired two dozen officers in his time as secretary.
House lawmakers on Wednesday also passed legislation designed to force the president to end the Iran war. It was the fourth time House Democrats sought to end the war — with the first three votes garnering some Republican support but failing to reach the necessary threshold for passage.
This time around, four Republicans — Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.), Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Tom Barrett (Mich.) and Warren Davidson (Ohio) — joined Democrats in voting for the largely symbolic resolution.
While the members all cited policy concerns, two also face distinct political pressures: Barrett represents........