As the brand new Trump administration continues to rapidly carve out the federal government, a Democratic congressman has expressed frustration about his fellow lawmakers — particularly those within his party — who he says are not meeting the moment strongly enough.
On Tuesday, Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) went after senators who have been confirming President Donald Trump’s controversial nominees, implying that they don’t comprehend the severity of the resulting consequences.
“If you are a Senator right now confirming ANY Trump nominee who will not unambiguously defend their oath to the Constitution even if that means standing up to Trump you are completely misunderstanding the risk of this moment,” he posted on X, formerly called Twitter.
Casten, who serves on the House Financial Services Committee, spoke out after the Trump administration’s Office of Management and Budget announced it will unilaterally freeze federal funding that has already been allocated. The freeze immediately threw agencies and Americans who depend on those funds into chaos.
“The fed. gov’t is ~20% of the US economy, spending money on those things that the private sector cannot provide – roads, security, hunger, etc,” Casten continued in another post. “To shut that down is to carry out Russia and China’s foreign policy, destroying all that makes America the envy of the world.”
Like other Democratic lawmakers, Casten called the funding freeze “unconstitutional” and “harmful,” pointing out the administration’s lie that the pause would not impact Medicaid, despite multiple states — including Casten’s Illinois — getting locked out of the Medicaid portal.
Trump chose Russell Vought to lead the OMB, the agency responsible for the freeze. Vought co-authored Project 2025, the conservative blueprint meant to overhaul the federal government that the president publicly tried to distance himself from during his campaign.
“This is a 5 alarm f-ing fire. We work hard not to shut government down in Congress. Trump has decided he can do by fiat out of petulance and blind allegiance to the Project 2025 crowd,” Casten said in another post. “You either enable him or stand up to him in this moment. There is no other option.”
The Senate’s vote to confirm Vought is scheduled for Thursday, though Democrats on the Senate Budget Committee have asked Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-N.C.), chairman of the committee, to delay it by two weeks so he can satisfactorily answer their questions on his advice to Trump relating to “the illegal impoundment of congressionally appropriate funds.”
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“While Mr. Vought stonewalled Committee members, he was already planning on halting programs that feed hungry children, heat the homes of low-income families, support farmers and bring relief to those suffering from natural disasters,” the Democrats’ Tuesday letter to Graham said. “The laws Congress passes are not suggestions, and Mr. Vought willfully ignoring them harms the constituents of every Member of the Committee.”