The defiant new group of Republicans scorned by President Donald Trump has an opportunity to mount a meaningful resistance against him, but according to a new breakdown from MS NOW, they have so far wasted chances to “do more than just spit in Trump’s eye.”
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Trump’s efforts to chase out Republicans in Congress he sees as insufficiently loyal have had the knock-on effect of creating what many observers have dubbed the “YOLO caucus.” This group of GOP lawmakers, leaving office at the end of their current term due to conflict with the president, has seemingly opted to use their remaining months to hold up his agenda as much as they desire, and has created significant delays due to the razor-thin majorities in Congress.
Writing for MS NOW on Monday, GOP strategist Susan Del Percio dug deeper into the phenomenon.
“These YOLO Republicans are finishing the final months of their six-year terms, with Sen. Thom Tillis choosing retirement over another brutal primary battle and Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and John Cornyn of Texas losing their primaries to Trump-backed upstart challengers. It has been a tough summer for lawmakers who dared question the president’s whims,” Del Percio wrote. “President Donald Trump’s ‘revenge tour’ had a secondary consequence: Republican senators with grievances, and a lot less to lose. But pettiness is one thing — leverage is quite another. And due to the GOP’s incredibly thin majority in the Senate, these three now have a big opportunity to do more than just spit in Trump’s eye — if they choose to take advantage.”
Some of these lawmakers, however, have wasted key opportunities to demand more from the Trump administration. Del Percio specifically highlighted Cassidy’s support for Trump’s CDC head nominee Dr. Erica Schwartz.
“Cassidy claims he backed her nomination in part after she assured him the CDC would revise language on its website related to autism and vaccines,” she explained. “But why didn’t he fight for more? At the very least, he could have secured a commitment to increased funding for vaccine education, given that measles cases in the U.S. have hit a 35-year high.”
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She also noted the drama these lawmakers have found themselves at the center of regarding Trump’s attorney general nominee Todd Blanche. On Sunday evening, it was reported that Blanche had finally acquiesced to demands from Tillis and Cornyn to issue a formal order in writing rescinding Trump’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” slush fund and his immunity from future tax audits, two highly controversial clauses in the settlement of his lawsuit against the IRS. This would appear to clear the way for Blanche’s nomination, despite hopes that the senators would help “permanently sink” him.
Moving forward, Del Percio concluded that the YOLO caucus still has plenty of opportunities left to make the most of their positions.
“These men could team up for a legislative priority like increased FEMA funding, for example, something both North Carolina and Texas have a tremendous need for right now — or they could do it alone and push for any one of their many respective statewide needs,” she wrote. “The point is, make these next few days count. Why not show your constituents what government can actually do, if you know how the game is played?”
She added: “Government is not meant to be used as a tool for vengeance; it is meant to serve the best interests of the people. This might just be the last time Tillis and Cornyn will be able to do that — even if it means holding their noses and helping Republicans install Trump’s former personal lawyer in the attorney general’s office. This form of politics isn’t pretty. But if you’re only going to live once, you should at least try to make it count.”
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