GOP lawmakers conflicted over Trump’s clash with judiciary

Republican lawmakers are conflicted over how to respond to President Trump’s confrontational standoff with the federal judiciary, which drew a rare public rebuke Tuesday from Chief Justice John Roberts.

Trump and his allies are directing their attacks more frequently against judges who threaten to slow or block the president’s ambitious agenda, putting GOP lawmakers in an uncomfortable spot.

Republican officeholders are leery of criticizing Trump for fear of becoming the target of his wrath or a primary challenge, yet privately they worry about the president’s efforts to expand his executive power, which could reverberate far into the future.

While a few Republican senators and House members have publicly cheered the Trump administration in its battle with a federal judge who ordered it to halt the deportation of several hundred Venezuelans to El Salvador, many more are keeping quiet.

“Republicans, by and large, will support Trump publicly because of the situation, we’re dealing with Venezuelan gang members and most Americans agree they should have been deported,” a senior Republican strategist said of the reaction to the Trump administration going forward with a deportation flights despite an order by a federal judge to stop them.

“Privately, most congressional Republicans will think this is really going right up to the line on having a constitutional crisis and that situations like this need to be avoided in the future,” the strategist added. “They do believe in due process.

“There will be future situations where hearings are necessary and continuing to go against judicial rulings will be politically precarious for Trump,” the strategist warned, noting that Trump’s direct challenge to federal judge’s authority caught many lawmakers off guard Tuesday.

Republican lawmakers have urged Trump to heed the federal court rulings he disagrees with and to challenge them in the appeals process instead of flouting court orders.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said last month that “the White House should comply with court rulings,” voicing a concern shared by a number of GOP lawmakers.

“We have a judicial system. If you don’t like the ruling, you can appeal the ruling and you can follow that through. But we are a nation of laws, and it is not necessarily for you or I to be the final arbiter here. This is why we entrust the judiciary with this responsibility,” she said.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has said the courts have a “valid role and need to be listened to.”

They and many other GOP lawmakers didn’t address the issue Tuesday after Trump called for the impeachment of Judge James Boasberg, the chief judge of the federal district court of the District of Columbia, who ordered the halting of flights carrying people to El Salvador.

Trump called the judge, who was appointed to his seat by former President Obama, “a troublemaker and agitator.”

“This judge, like many of the Crooked Judges’ I am forced to appear before, should be impeached!!” he declared on Truth Social, suggesting that many the deportees were “VICIOUS, VIOLENT AND DEMENTED CRIMINALS.”

That statement drew pushback from Roberts, who declared that threatening to impeach the judge over a legal disagreement is “inappropriate.”

The Trump administration sought to deport the migrants under the Aliens Enemies Act of 1798, a seldom cited law that previously has been invoked during times of war.

Trump’s call for impeaching Boasberg was immediately supported by Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas), who introduced a resolution to impeach Boasberg.

The idea of impeaching federal judges who rule against Trump was not popular with Senate Republicans when tech billionaire Elon Musk, one of Trump’s closest advisors, floated it last month.

“Wrong, wrong, wrong. Get him out of the White House. Get him out, the sooner the better,” one GOP senator told The Hill last month.

“Every day that he’s there, he seems more destructive,” the source said of Musk.

The Republican strategist warned that Trump’s battle with Republican-appointed jurists such as Roberts is a bad look for the president, politically.

“Trump is once again breaking norms,” the strategist said. “It does raise the visibility of [the issue] and I don’t think it intimidates the judges, either.

“If power ends up in a Democratic White House and [a Democratic president] ignores judicial rulings, Republicans will be reminded of his situation. Hopefully, this is an anomaly,” the source added. “Behind the scenes, they believe in an independent judiciary and they don’t want Trump messing with it.”

Former Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) said Trump’s attack on the judge puts Republican lawmakers in a difficult position.

“When you arbitrarily try to cancel the rule of law, which is what Trump is trying to do, and leave by the edict of an individual, whether he is president or not, you’re creating almost a banana republic-type of event,” he warned.

“The fact that members of the Republican Party would introduce articles of impeachment [against the judge] is an inexcusable abrogation of their obligation as members of the Congress,” he said.

“How does it affect Republicans? Significantly. Because even though senior Republicans in the Senate may disagree and hopefully would disagree strongly, it’s the president who’s head of the party and is defining the party,” Gregg warned. “If you’re running as a Republican against a Democrat, or anybody else, you’re going to be painted with the brush that you don’t think the rule of law should apply in America anymore.”

The Justice Department on Tuesday complied with Boasberg’s order for sworn statements acknowledging that the deported Venezuelan migrants, allegedly members of the Tren de Aragua gang, arrived in El Salvador after the judge issued verbal and written orders to stop the deportations.

The judge asked Justice Department officials to explain why two deportation flights continued on from Honduras to El Salvador after he issued his orders.

The Trump administration’s lawyers argued on Monday that Boasberg’s order wasn’t violated because the judge does not have the jurisdiction to overrule the president’s powers as commander in chief.

Two prominent Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee rallied to Trump’s defense.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Sunday accused Boasberg of “unilaterally deciding policy for the whole country” and vowed to investigate.

“This time to benefit foreign gang members,” he posted on X, referring to the court order. “If the Supreme Court or Congress doesn’t fix, we’re headed toward a constitutional crisis.

“Senate Judiciary Cmte taking action,” he added.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), another member of the Judiciary Committee, posted on X that “Democrats would rather defend known terrorists and cartel gangsters than let President Trump do his job of keeping our country safe.”

Topics

Americans confront GOP lawmakers over federal job cuts and economy at town halls

Republicans in Congress are facing backlash at town hall events as voters voice concerns over deep federal job cuts and the state of the economy under President Trump and Elon Musk's policies. Some ...
CBS News - 5d
The Memo: Roberts rebukes Trump in latest twist of White House battle with judiciary

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts issued a clear, if implicit, rebuke of President Trump on Tuesday, intensifying a clash between the White House and the judiciary. The Trump administration, ...
The Hill - 16h
GOP lawmaker pushes to impeach judge over order to halt deportations

Republican Rep. Brandon Gill (Texas) said he would be pushing to impeach the federal judge who ordered the Trump administration to halt deportations of Venezuelan gang members over the weekend. ...
The Hill - 1d
Trump could reshape judiciary with 300 judge appointments, analysis shows

Advocacy group Demand Justice warns of opportunities for president to shift balance of courts in his favour. Donald Trump is poised to reshape the US judiciary over the next four years through ...
The Guardian - 1d
'Volatility and conflict’: Business leaders sound warnings over Trump's tariffs

Ray Dalio warned of "fighting" between countries over tariffs, while Marc Benioff said reciprocity needs to be consistent or risk "volatility and conflict."
CNBC - 6d
Progressive group targets GOP lawmakers over Musk, health cuts

Click in for more news from The Hill {beacon} Health Care Health Care First in The Hill Nonprofit launches ad campaign urging GOP to stand up to Musk The digital campaign from progressive ...
The Hill - 6d
GOP lawmakers tackle challenge of turning Trump actions into laws

Republican lawmakers who are jubilant about President Trump’s flurry of executive orders and actions reshaping the government are staring down a challenge: making those changes last by turning them ...
The Hill - 3d
Trump’s Clash With Maine Gov. Janet Mills Fuels Tensions Across State

Funding cuts, a censured lawmaker, citizen protests: The state has had a bumpy month since Gov. Janet Mills tangled with President Trump over transgender athletes.
The New York Times - 4d
The Judiciary’s Role

We cover President Trump and his latest adversary: the courts.
The New York Times - 3h
Republicans worry Trump's tariffs could harm economy

Republican lawmakers are growing alarmed over signs that President Trump’s expanding trade war is hurting the economy, something they’re hearing from constituents at home who are struggling to ...
The Hill - Mar. 10
The Memo: Trump ratchets up confrontation with judiciary

President Trump and his administration ramped up their confrontation with the judiciary to extraordinary heights Monday, demanding that a judge whose ruling had incurred their disfavor should be ...
The Hill - 1d
GOP lawmaker on Ontario electricity surcharge: 'It's only going to help Trump'

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) said Monday that Ontario’s 25-percent surcharge on electricity exports to his state — announced in response to President Trump’s tariffs on Canada — will ...
The Hill - Mar. 10
Schumer clashes with liberal colleagues over House GOP funding bill

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) surprised Washington Thursday by announcing on the Senate floor that he would vote to advance a House Republican-drafted six-month government funding ...
The Hill - 5d
GOP lawmaker booed by crowd at North Carolina town hall

Republican Congressman Chuck Edwards was confronted by angry constituents about Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s cuts across the government at a town hall on Thursday night.
ABC News - 4d
House Republicans push Trump-backed bill to avoid shutdown, sparking backlash

High-stakes vote puts GOP lawmakers at odds with Democrats over cuts to social services and military boosts. House Republicans are gambling on a near party-line vote on Tuesday to avoid a looming ...
The Guardian - Mar. 11
Democrats step up town halls amid rowdy GOP forums

Democrats are using town halls to go on offense against their Republican counterparts as the party scrambles to capitalize on a weak point: GOP lawmakers taking heat for President Trump. ...
The Hill - 4h
Poll: As Trump and courts clash, voters weigh whether each branch of government has too much power

As a federal judge presses President Donald Trump's administration over whether it violated an order halting deportations, in a growing clash between the presidency and the judicial branch, more ...
NBC News - 5h
Trump, Texas GOP's deregulation push sparks hope and fear in the oil field

This story was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center. It is part two in a four-part series. Read part one here. President Trump and Texas lawmakers are pushing to loosen the laws and ...
The Hill - Mar. 10
Trump revisits playbook for taking down the judiciary

A hallmark of President Trump’s criminal trials were his unsparing attacks on the judges who oversaw them. Now, he’s going to that playbook again – this time from the Oval Office. Trump on ...
The Hill - 2h
Democrats ‘applying maximum hurt’ for ‘political gain’ in government funding fight: GOP lawmaker

President Trump is urging Republicans to support Speaker Mike Johnson’s short-term government funding bill. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) joins Meet the Press NOW to discuss the upcoming vote.
NBC News - Mar. 11
Trump pardons convicted lawmaker once represented by the White House counsel

Trump pardons convicted Tennessee lawmaker once represented by the White House counsel.
ABC News - 6d
Dark economic clouds loom over Trump and the GOP: From the Politics Desk

President Donald Trump’s economic approach is putting members of his administration and Republicans in Congress on the defensive as the stock market continues to struggle
NBC News - 5d
Burn pit fund for veterans on chopping block in GOP spending bill

Democratic lawmakers and veterans’ groups are fuming over a provision in a stopgap federal spending bill passed by House Republicans this week that would cut a Department of Veteran Affairs fund ...
The Hill - 5d
Ohio lawmakers push for NASA headquarters move to Cleveland

A group of Ohio lawmakers in Congress is pushing for NASA headquarters to be moved from Washington, D.C., to Cleveland. The lawmakers argued in a letter Tuesday to Vice President Vance, who is from ...
The Hill - 6d
USDA suspends Maine university funding after Trump row over transgender athletes

The Department of Agriculture has suspended funding at the University of Maine after President Trump clashed with Gov. Janet Mills over transgender athletic participation.
NBC News - Mar. 12
USDA pauses funding to University of Maine after Trump clash with governor

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Tuesday it is temporarily pausing funding to the University of Maine System, a move that comes after President Trump and the state’s governor got ...
The Hill - Mar. 11
Roberts rebukes Trump, allies over attacks against federal judge

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts has issued a rare statement rebuking a push to impeach judges, hours after President Trump echoed such calls amid a clash with a federal judge over migrant ...
The Hill - 21h
‘Not quite yet beautiful’: Republicans at odds over spending cuts after meeting Trump

Senate Republicans aren’t seeing eye to eye with their colleagues in the House over places to cut spending in order to pay for their extension of the 2017 Trump tax cuts. GOP members of the Senate ...
The Hill - 4d
Lawmakers urge Trump administration to cancel owl-killing plan

A bipartisan group of lawmakers urge the Trump administration to scrap plans to kill more than 450,000 invasive barred owls in West Coast forests in coming decades
ABC News - Mar. 10
Azerbaijan and Armenia strike deal to end decades-long conflict

Caucasus neighbours agree final two terms of draft peace treaty over disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Azerbaijan and Armenia have successfully wrapped up peace talks aimed at resolving their ...
The Guardian - 5d
Moskowitz reads back GOP 'mean tweets' ahead of CR vote

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) read back some of the “mean tweets” from Republican lawmakers about continuing resolutions (CR) ahead of Tuesday’s vote. “It’s CR day on Capitol Hill, and what is ...
The Hill - Mar. 11
GOP's Burchett berates CNN anchor over spending cuts coverage

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) on Tuesday attacked CNN’s coverage of the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) spending cuts and accused the network of trying to rally its viewers against ...
The Hill - Mar. 11
Rep. McBride says she lives ‘rent free’ in the minds of some GOP lawmakers

Days after being misgendered by a Republican colleague during a hearing, Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del., said she appeared to live "rent free" in the minds of some of her colleagues and criticized the ...
NBC News - 5d
Trump wants to end this GOP maverick’s political career. He’s not too worried.

Rep. Thomas Massie has been through it all before: “It’ll blow over.”
Politico - Mar. 11
GOP senator says 'tariffs is a tax' and Trump understands 'completely'

A GOP senator says President Trump's tariffs are a tax on American consumers, and Trump knows but the goal is to create open markets and long-term fairness
The Hill - 5d
Rwanda Cuts Ties With Belgium Over Congo Conflict and E.U. Sanctions

Belgium, Rwanda’s former colonial ruler, pushed for the European Union to impose sanction against Rwandan officials over their role in invading eastern Congo and plundering its mineral wealth.
The New York Times - 1d
GOP lawmaker abruptly ends hearing after misgendering Democratic representative

A House subcommittee hearing on Tuesday was abruptly adjourned by Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas) after he misgendered Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Delaware). See the moment.
CBS News - 6d
Uefa to discuss penalty rules with lawmakers after Alvarez miss

Uefa says it will enter discussions with football's lawmakers over rules around penalties after Julian Alvarez's spot kick was controversially disallowed in Atletico Madrid's Champions League exit.
BBC News - 5d
Maine Republican who posted photos of trans student sues state House speaker over censure

A Republican state lawmaker in Maine is suing her House Speaker and clerk over a recent vote by the Democratic-led body to censure her for posting photos of a minor on social media in protest ...
The Hill - Mar. 11