Republican senators signed a public letter to the White House on Friday, vowing to prevent the upper chamber from accomplishing anything — from appropriations to confirmations — in the wake of former President Trump’s guilty verdict.
“As a Senate Republican conference, we are unwilling to aid and abet this White House in its project to tear this country apart,” read a letter led by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.
On Thursday, Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying documents to cover up payments made to former porn star Stormy Daniels, a woman with whom he allegedly had an affair in 2006.
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The lawmakers laid out that they will no longer allow the Senate to run smoothly, by confirming President Biden’s nominees or allowing Congress to move forward with funding for the next fiscal year.
“Strongly worded statements are not enough. Those who turned our judicial system into a political cudgel must be held accountable. We are no longer cooperating with any Democrat legislative priorities or nominations, and we invite all concerned Senators to join our stand,” Lee announced on X.
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Sens. JD Vance, R-Ohio; Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala.; Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.; Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.; Rick Scott, R-Fla.; Roger Marshall, R-Kan.; and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., joined Lee in stating they will refuse to allow any increases for funding that are unrelated to security.
The senators further claimed they wouldn’t allow “any appropriations bill which funds partisan lawfare.”
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No political or judicial nominees proposed by Biden will receive their votes for confirmation either, they wrote.
Lastly, the Republicans said they won’t allow any “expedited consideration and passage of Democrat legislation or authorities that are not directly relevant to the safety of the American people.” This plan, if adhered to, would force Democrats to go through regular order to pursue legislative priorities, which can take a long time. The Senate relies on the common use of unanimous consent requests to expedite these processes.
Two of the signatories, Vance and Rubio, are being speculated as potential running mates for Trump as the Republican National Convention draws near.
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Scott is notably running for the position of Republican Senate Leader, vying to replace outgoing Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
Congress will need to pass appropriations bills or a stopgap funding bill before the start of the next fiscal year in October, otherwise the government will shut down ahead of the November election.
Neither the White House nor the office of Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., responded to inquires for purposes of this story in time for publication.
