Congressional Republicans Try a New Approach: Telling Trump No

From New York Times, I'm Michael. Barbaro. This [music] is The Daily. In ways big and small, the. Republican-controlled [music]. Congress has begun rebelling against. President Trump as never before. On. everything from the war in Iran to his. plan to use [music] taxpayer money to. pay his allies. Today, congressional editor Julie Davis [music]. on whether the uprising is a preview of.

a new dynamic in Washington or a. temporary show of independence. >> [music]. >> that will vanish just as quickly as it. arrived. It's. >> [music]. >> Monday, June 8th. Julie, it's wonderful to see you. >> Great to see you, Michael. >> Thank you for coming on the show. I. appreciate it. >> Thanks for having me.

>> I would say, Julie, I don't think you're. going to contest this, that from the. first moment of Trump's second term, the question on kind of everyone's mind. was whether the manner in which the. president had consolidated his power had. basically rendered this Congress, this. Republican Congress, irrelevant. Right? I mean, it very much looked like a. co-equal branch of government was. choosing subservience very willingly. And we started to ask the question, is.

Congress over? And the answer over the past 10 days or. so. seemed to change. And now it feels more. like a no, it's not over. >> Yeah, I mean, I I think in the first. months of President Trump's second term, we were actually surprised on the hill. to see the degree to which Republicans. were just deferring to him on. everything, not just refusing to.

challenge him on things, but actively. kind of giving back their power on some. pretty key things on spending, on trade. and tariffs, on foreign policy, things. that you typically see Congress. jealously guarding as its own. prerogatives, finding every possible way. to give it over to the White House, and. really even just avoiding voting on. things all together. >> Right. It was literally like a kid in. the playground saying, "Take this toy.

Take this toy. Take this shovel. Take. this truck.". >> Right. That was really all we were. seeing from Republicans when it came to. President Trump. But, in the last few. weeks, we have seen. some pretty rare and unusual resistance. coming from Republicans. They're. refusing to act on legislation that's a. big priority for him, refusing to move. on the timelines that he set out for. them. They're stripping things from. legislation and forcing the.

administration to drop proposals that. they don't like. >> Mhm. >> And, in the case of the war in Iran, they're actually. using their power to push back on. President Trump. >> They're basically rebelling. >> They're rebelling. To go back to your. playground metaphor, Michael, it's a. little bit like a group of kids who have. obeyed their daddy for many, many months. on pretty much everything, and are finally just saying, "No, Daddy, we're not going to do this for you.". >> Mhm. That's quite a vivid completion of.

the metaphor. So, take us behind the. scenes of this rebellion, if that's what. we're going to be calling it, and we'll. get to how durable it is and how far it. may or may not go, but let's just. understand it to the extent that it has. been unfolding. On the surface, a lot of it seemed to. revolve around the weaponization fund, the president's nearly $2 billion. effort to compensate people he claims.

are victims of. overzealous government prosecution, but. my sense is that that's not quite the. full story. >> [snorts]. >> Yeah, it actually started long before. the Trump administration announced that. they were creating that fund. This has. been percolating for many weeks, and. it's really, I think, a matter of. Republicans sort of slowly and then very. quickly waking up to the reality that a. lot of what President Trump is doing is. actually counter to their own political.

interests. Let's remember that we are. just months away from the midterm. elections, and Trump is intervening in. Republican primaries against some pretty. popular members of their caucus who are. incumbents who are fighting for their. political lives. >> Mhm. >> He intervenes in Louisiana, endorses a. Republican congresswoman who's running. against Bill Cassidy, the senator who's. the head of the health committee, >> Right. >> who has spent years in trying to.

ingratiate himself with Trump after. having voted to convict him at his. impeachment trial after January 6th. But Trump ultimately decided he wanted. to take him out. >> And did. >> And he did. And he did. But the second. Senate primary where President Trump. intervened, and I think the more. stinging one that made Republicans a lot. angrier, was in Texas. Where Senator John Cornyn had been. facing a challenge from Ken Paxton, the.

attorney general. They're in a runoff. It was going to be a competitive one. President Trump had stayed neutral, and. days before. the primary, he weighs in and endorses. Ken Paxton. And that news that the. president was going to do that just. hit Republicans on the Hill like a bomb. They were completely irate, in part. because Cornyn was seen as the much. stronger candidate. >> Mhm. >> who would be able to win that seat.

without having to spend a lot of money, without having to really worry about it. because there are obviously a lot of. other seats that they need to be. worrying about defending in the midterm. year. So, that just soured the mood. among Republicans who are sort of. looking around, >> [music]. >> seeing that President Trump's agenda is. getting less and less popular with. voters, seeing that he's doing things. really they feel like are for himself. and not for the good of the party. >> [music]. >> You know, Republicans are fighting to. hold on to majorities in both chambers. and they have an uphill battle and there.

started to be a real feeling like he was. making it harder for [music] them. >> Mhm. >> And I should say that both of these. senators are very popular with their. Republican colleagues. They're seen as. effective, >> [music]. >> they're seen as experienced and they. know how to do their jobs. And the very. same day that Trump came out and. endorsed Paxton against Cornyn, in the. weekly party lunch, >> [music]. >> Bill Cassidy, returning for the first. time since being defeated in his. primary, got a standing ovation from. Republicans. It was kind of like a. moment where they sort of were saying,

"You're our guy, even if you're not. President Trump's.". >> Clearly what's starting to dawn on these. Republicans is that Trump is making the. midterms about him, making it about. revenge, not at all what's best for a. party trying to keep control of. Congress. And on top of all this, what Trump is. clearly doing in the eyes of these. Republicans is rewarding their. subservience. I mean, Cornyn votes with. Trump 90-something percent of the time, same with Cassidy.

Rewarding that with. them being punished and forced out of. office. So, why should they keep being. subservient starts to basically be the. question. >> Right, that is the question and this is. the context in which the administration. announces without any advanced word to. any Republican on Capitol Hill. that they will be forming this. anti-weaponization. fund of 1.776. billion dollars to the administration.

says compensate. people who have been victimized by the. federal government and clear implication. that this is for people loyal to. President Trump including potentially. the mobs that stormed the Capitol on. January 6th who he feels have been. wronged by the government and unfairly. targeted and so he would like to use. federal money to pay these people and. this just sort of in the context of all. of this tension. >> Mhm. >> that Republicans are feeling toward the. president and how he's making his.

decisions just hits them like a ton of. bricks. >> My first reaction was this doesn't pass. the smell test. This might be one area. where you might find a lot of bipartisan. questioning of whether or not this is a. good idea. >> This is another instance of him going. around Congress to use money in the way. that he sees fit. >> There are a lot of questions that the. administration is going to have to. answer. >> These people don't deserve restitution. Many of them deserve to be in prison. I. mean this is just stupid on stilts.

>> And let's not forget Republicans worked. to acquit him at his impeachment trial. They have been loyal to him for years. since January 6th but they were all in. the Capitol on January 6th when people. assaulted the building and they were all. running for their lives. So they're all. it's sort of dawning on them both. personally and frankly politically. They're going to have to defend this in. front of voters at a time when they are. many of them are running for. re-election. This is really not a good. look and this is not something that they. want to have to stand behind. >> It's as if somebody sued themselves.

agreed upon a settlement with themselves. and that's going to be funded by the. rest of us. I can tell you the voter don't like. that. Or if they like it, maybe they're. in on it. >> And this is not just an academic. exercise for them because what they also. realize is. that President Trump has set them one of. his famous deadlines, a June 1st. deadline, for them to deliver him the. huge $70 immigration enforcement bill.

that he's been asking for for months. And they are trying to move on to that. bill and they start to realize because. they have so many concerns about this. fund and there's so much sentiment among. Republicans to try to do something to. shut this idea down that they're. probably not going to be able to get the. votes to move forward with the. immigration bill. unless they do something. to either get President Trump to reverse. himself on the fund or actually.

affirmatively write some legislation to. block him from doing it. >> So at the same time that the president. is putting forth this toxic idea of a. weaponization fund that might give money. to January 6th rioters. he's saying to these Senate Republicans, "Pass this gargantuan spending bill I. want even though I'm putting you in a. tough position all around.". >> Right. And Republicans initially are. trying to figure out if there's a way. they can do this. Todd Blanche, the. acting attorney general, comes to the.

Hill to try to assuage their concerns. about the fund. He meets with them. behind closed doors. >> What do you want to hear from Todd. Blanche? >> Uh about the payout pot for punks? Uh not a lot. >> And it is just a complete blow up. >> It's one of the roughest meetings I've. seen in my entire time in the Senate. Fiery does not begin to cut it. >> It very quickly becomes clear that this. is a complete non-starter for. Republicans. They call off their vote on.

this bill. They leave for Memorial Day. weekend and say. the way things stand now, we just we. can't move forward. >> And calling off a vote sounds to the lay. ear like a subtle act of recalcitrance, but. in the moment, it felt very much like a. declaration of independence. We are. canceling a vote to put $70. into immigration enforcement for the.

president, his signature agenda. >> Right. And remember that when the. president sets them a deadline or asks. them to do something in the past, Republicans have always just snapped. right to and done it. So, the fact that. they're willing. and really feel like they have to go. home and not do this, it does feel like. a real pivot point. We have not seen. them push back on the president or his. legislative agenda in this way before. >> So, any questions, please? >> And a couple hours later in the Oval. Office, President Trump is making an.

appearance and reporters actually ask. him like. >> Are you losing control of the Senate, Senate Republicans? >> Are you losing your hold on the Senate? >> I don't know. I really don't know. I can. tell you I only do what's right. >> And Trump says, "Well, I'm not really. sure. I don't know." But all around him, there is mounting evidence that he is. really not keeping Republicans online in. line on a variety of his priorities. It's right around this time that. Republicans decide to drop the billion. dollars that they had put in their bill. for his ballroom project. We all know.

how much he cherishes that project. He. talks about it all the time. While. Republicans wish that he would talk. about the economy, he's always talking. about the ballroom project. >> Right. >> They drop that. It's a not-so-subtle. brush-off to him. >> Right. They basically say despite your. desire that we slip it quietly into a. bill, we're actually going to take it. out. >> Right. They don't want to have to defend. it. They don't want to have to vote for. it. And they really are not letting up. this payout fund. They make it very.

clear that this thing has to die if. they're going to be able to move forward. with the immigration bill. >> And it's sort of by coincidence around. this moment as I recall that a court. rules that the White House can't do. anything when it comes to this. weaponization fund which kind of assists. these congressional Republicans in their. opposition. >> Right, it gives them a bit of support. for their position that the. administration just has to abandon this. Although the court order is only. temporary, so it also strengthens their.

resolve to really be like something. needs to be done about this to once and. for all get it off the table. And in. fact, within a couple of days, the. administration does back down on the. fund. The Justice Department puts out. word that they're not going to challenge. this court ruling. And in this case, it. was especially notable because even. after the White House said they were. going to abide by this court order, which they clearly did not agree with, Republicans went a step further and. said, "We don't trust you. We don't.

trust the word of the White House. We. don't trust the Justice Department. saying they're going to abide by this. We want an on-the-record disavowal of. this thing and to be assured that it. will never return." And that is just not. something we have seen Republicans do. They, you know, have been very. deferential and given President Trump a. lot of latitude and a lot of benefit of. the doubt, and that benefit of the doubt. is just gone at this point. And then,

Todd Blanche goes back to Capitol Hill. and testifies under oath that we are not. moving forward with this fund, period. >> Right. And I think it's fair to say, if. you're evaluating the strength of this. Republican rebellion at its peak over. the past couple of weeks, this is the. high-water mark of it. When. congressional Republicans, using the. leverage they have over something that. the president wants, which is his money. for the immigration crackdown,

kill off this weaponization fund. >> Right. This is Republicans doing what. Democrats have been saying for more than. a year they needed to do, which is use. their power, use their leverage to push. back on the president at a moment of, you know, pretty potent anger among. Republicans about some of the things the. president has done. >> And of course that anger and this. rebellion we're talking about it doesn't. end with the weaponization fund because.

another big target emerges around this. same time and that is the president's. war in Iran. And we'll talk about that. right after the break. We'll be right back. So Julie, explain how this Republican. pushback in Congress that we most.

vividly saw against the weaponization. fund starts to play out with the war in. Iran. >> So for months now, since President Trump. started bombing Iran in late February, Democrats have been forcing these war. powers votes on the House and Senate. floors, which are essentially. resolutions that say the president has. to come to Congress for authorization if. he wants to continue the war. >> Mhm. >> And they're important not so much. because anyone really thinks that.

they're going to be enacted into law. Obviously, President Trump has said. these are unconstitutional. He'd veto. any resolution like this that ever. reached his desk. But Democrats and some. Republicans who are growing increasingly. uneasy with how this is dragging on see. it as a way of really registering. Congress's skepticism about this and. really trying to reassert a. congressional role in matters of war, which again is one of these things that. Republicans have for months just seated. to the president and not attempted to.

involve themselves in. And every time. one of these comes up, the Republican. leadership argues this is going to tie. the president's hands, this is going to. undermine his ability to negotiate. We. can't be doing this right now. Congress. just needs to step back. So Republicans. keep voting against it with a few. defections, but not enough to actually. let this pass. until this sort of rebellion starts to. bubble up within the party about a range. of issues.

And all of a sudden, a few days after. Bill Cassidy loses his primary, there's. yet another War Powers vote in the. Senate. >> We are following some breaking news in. Washington where the US Senate just. passed legislation. >> And guess who switches his vote and. votes with Democrats to insist that. Trump come to Congress for. authorization. >> Mr. Cassidy, Mr. Cassidy, I. >> Bill Cassidy. >> I actually support the goals that the. president initially laid out. And it was going to be 2 weeks. Well, obviously going longer than 2 weeks. So. just. tell the American people that's where we.

are on this. >> What does the fact. >> And that is enough to put the resolution. over the top and the Senate now has to. take it up and has to eventually vote on. it. So it's just another indication that. dissent is growing about this conflict. that a lot of Democrats and certainly. many Republicans see as a political. liability for them. And they don't feel like the White House. or the president has leveled with them. on what the goals are, what the end game. is. And all of a sudden some of these. reservations, which we've heard.

Republicans kind of allude to gently for. many months, are manifesting themselves in. >> [music]. >> a vote, which is a pretty remarkable. moment. And then before too long. >> Members will record their votes by. electronic device. Members, this is a. 5-minute vote. >> A war powers resolution comes up in the. House, which [music] is a much more. conservative body, where the leaders. have a much tighter rein on their. people. But still. >> Vote. The yeas are 215 and the nays are.

208. The concurrent resolution is adopted. >> Enough Republicans defect and join. Democrats to pass the resolution. >> Congress alone declares war. That's. something that we have to be, you know, certainly protective of. >> And essentially say. Trump has to withdraw forces or come to. Congress for authorization. >> We have to follow the law. There's a law. on the books, the War Powers Act of '73, so you can't violate the law. That's not. an option. >> [music]. >> And the key crossover votes came from.

Republicans who are in competitive. districts. >> [music]. >> There are a a variety of considerations. that we have to take into account, but I. definitely feel what people are. experiencing back home. You know, I go. back home to my district every single. week. You know, I fill up my gas tank, too. I I have four kids. [music] We're. taking. >> They're concerned about the war. It's. gone on too long. It's costing too much. They want to see an end [music] game. >> Interesting. So, swing district. Republicans. are crossing over, voting with Democrats.

to register their disapproval of the war. because they worry that the war, the. resulting high gas prices are going to. cost them re-election. This goes back to. what you were saying earlier that at the. heart of this Republican rebellion is. this very strong sense that the. president is not looking out for the. best interests of the Republican Party. >> Right. This is a president who has said. in recent weeks that he doesn't care. about the financial impact on Americans. when he's thinking about the war. He.

doesn't care about the midterms, and. Republicans are starting to look around. and say like, well, where does that. leave us? And by this point, we're starting to see. some interesting coalitions form here to. really be the spine of this pushback. against Trump. You have. swing district Republicans like Senator. Susan Collins was among the senators who. voted for the War Powers Resolution in. the Senate. Brian Fitzpatrick, Tom. Barrett of Michigan were the ones in the. house. >> Purple state lawmakers. >> Right. But, you also have this other.

faction, you know, who are starting to. get the nickname of the Yolo. >> Caucus. >> have been targeted by the president. They've been ousted and are lame ducks. And they don't have a reason anymore to. be unbendingly loyal to Donald Trump. Bill Cassidy already lost his. reelection. John Cornyn lost his. reelection. Tom Massie was another. Republican who voted for the War Powers. Act in the house, lost his primary to a. Trump-backed challenger just a few weeks. ago. So,

they're sort of conspiring with these. people who have everything to lose. politically. They have nothing to lose. politically. But, the result is the same that they. are willing to push back on a president. who is not used to being resisted. >> Right. And of course, the thing to note. about the so-called Yolo Coalition is. they might not have anything left to. lose, but they're not going to be in. their jobs much longer. They can fight. the president until their term is up at. the end of the year, and then.

inevitably, they're being replaced by. people who are very loyal to the. president. Potentially someone like Ken Paxton if. he wins the general election, and. therefore, the threat that they pose to. the president is inherently temporary, or saying. >> Absolutely. And it's not clear how far. any of them are willing to go with this, right? We saw Senator Cassidy vote for. the War Powers Act. We didn't see John. Cornyn cross party lines on that. He's a. very loyal Republican, and we have yet. to see him really manifest his, you you.

grievance if he feels any toward the. president in a vote, but the fact. remains that their political incentive. to do whatever the president wants them. to do has vastly diminished. >> Well, I think Julie that gets at the. ultimate question that we have to ask. here, which is how durable and potent is. this resistance likely to be in the long. term? Obviously, a unique set of. circumstances. played out here all at once, where the. president ousted popular members of the.

Republican Party from their jobs. That. made folks really angry. Then he dropped. this idea of the weaponization fund into. everyone's laps. That made them angry. That doesn't happen every day. And how. likely are these congressional. Republicans over time to snap back into. this more subservient role that Trump. has conditioned them to take? >> Right. It's It's a great question. It's. the question to ask. And it's.

instructive to look at what happened. Thursday and Friday, where Republicans. finally were able. to pass their immigration bill. And. what we see is that given the. opportunity by Democrats to. go a step further and actually put it in. writing in law that there can never be. President Trump's compensation fund for. his political allies, Republicans figure out a way to block. that, not to vote for that. And that.

allows them to keep this immigration. bill, this top priority of President. Trump, on track. But even. as they're handing him this big victory, there were all these signs still of how. Republicans were sort of parting ways. with and finding ways to distance. themselves from Trump. Before the. immigration bill passed, there was this. long series of votes overnight and into. Friday morning, they call it a. vot-a-rama where there were a series of. amendments offered to the bill and there.

were some Republican votes for those. proposals. >> Mhm. >> Including several votes on the fund and. a proposal to say that Trump could never. use any federal money for his ballroom. The same was true on a Democratic. proposal to try to block him from naming. Bill Pulte the housing director as the. director of national intelligence. Another thing that had really enraged a. lot of Republicans. None of these things ultimately were. able to succeed and be added to the. bill, but the fact that Republicans were.

willing to vote the way they did. showed that there is at least some mood. in their ranks which hasn't really. existed before to resist what the. president is demanding of them. >> Right. >> And I think that's kind of where we're. seeing them land. They're not going to. be willing to derail their own party's. agenda. in the service of defying Trump, right? They still want to keep their. immigration bill and their message to. voters on track because in the end what.

this really is about is them trying to. do what they think is best for. themselves and the party. And their agendas overlap with his in. many ways, in most ways. But where there. is some daylight. and the president [music] keeps on. creating this daylight. closer and closer we [music] get to. November. they're going to push back and rebel. And that marks [music] a new chapter in. the story of this president and the. Republican Congress.

>> Well, Julie, thank you very much. As. always, appreciate your time. >> [music]. >> Thank you, Michael. Same here. >> In an interview [music] on Sunday with. NBC's Meet the Press. President Trump acknowledged the. bipartisan opposition that killed his. so-called weaponization fund. >> It's been blocked by the courts, met. with opposition from Republicans. >> and Democrats. >> in Congress and Democrats. >> me. Mostly Democrats.

>> Mostly Democrats and some Republicans. >> Some. Very few Republicans. >> Just. >> but said he still supported the idea. [music] in theory. >> Well, it's look, if it was up to me, I'd pay them the kind of money that they. deserve. [music]. People have been destroyed. Lives have. been destroyed. >> During the interview, Trump also sought. to downplay [music]. the war in Iran and the growing doubts. that surrounded it. >> I call it a military exercise cuz people. would rather have it called that. It's.

not a big war for us. It's not We're the. most powerful. >> The latest version of the War Powers. Resolution against the war, already. passed [music] in the House, now heads to the Senate. Under congressional rules, the Senate. must either pass or reject the. resolution. >> [music]. >> in the next few weeks. We'll be right back.

Here's what else you need to know today. [music]. On Sunday, Iran fired ballistic missiles. toward Israel, the first time Iran has. done so since a ceasefire [music] began. in early April. Sunday's attack was in response to a. deadly Israeli airstrike [music] in. Lebanon that targeted Hezbollah, a. militant group backed by [music] Iran.

Israel said it intercepted all the. Iranian missiles and a few hours later, it [music] fired back at Iran. The back-and-forth threatens to escalate. a conflict that has been largely. contained and further complicates peace. talks [music] between the United States. and Iran that have sputtered for weeks. Today's episode [music] was produced by. Chris Bender.

Mary Wilson Anna Foley and Olivia Nat. It was [music] edited by Rachel Quester. and Rob Zipko and contains music by Pat. McCusker Dan [music] Powell Alicia Betub. and Marion Lozano. Our theme music is by Wonderly. This episode was engineered by Chris. [music] Wood. >> [music].

>> That's it for the daily. I'm Michael Barbaro. See you tomorrow.