Trump’s infrastructure sabotage was a failure in the Senate

Former President Donald Trump issued a statement on Saturday threatening to deny his approval to any Republican who supports the bipartisan $ 1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. Hours later, 18 Republican senators voted to move the infrastructure package forward anyway.

It was just a procedural vote (the Senate has yet to vote on passing the bill as of Monday afternoon). But the chain of events illustrates that at least when it comes to infrastructure, the former president’s threats don’t seem to have the weight they once did.

This was clearly displayed on Fox News on Sunday morning as one of the Republican senators who voted to move the infrastructure bill forward, Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, appeared on the Maria Bartiromo show and took to the show. been blasted for not following the line.

“Are you betraying the Republican base? Bartiromo asked Cramer to open the interview. He responded by saying that the bill responds to important national priorities.

“It’s not just about infrastructure, it’s specifically about roads and bridges. On top of that, there are ports, waterways, railways, airports, broadband, all of which are essential for the movement of goods and services in the country and around the world, ”said To screw up. “We couldn’t get soybeans from North Dakota to South Korea if we didn’t have ports in the Pacific Northwest. and we certainly couldn’t buy pasta in New York without trucks hauling the wheat from the field to the bins, then to the mills and factories.

Bartiromo then urged Cramer to respond specifically to Trump’s threat. Trump said on Saturday that “Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill will be used against the Republican Party in the next election in 2022 and 2024. It will be very difficult for me to support anyone who is crazy enough to vote for this deal.” .

But Cramer, who is running for reelection in 2024, hasn’t backed down.

“He gave no reason why it was a bad deal other than Joe Biden’s [bill] … I think he is wrong on this issue, ”he said.

Note that Cramer is known as a fierce Trumpist, not as a moderate like Mitt Romney who sometimes breaks with the former president. He campaigned in 2018 as the most favorable MAGA candidate in the North Dakota race, and after being elected he ended up being among the top 10 Republican senators in terms of a reliable vote in tune with Trump.

In February, Cramer voted against Trump’s conviction for inciting insurgency on January 6 following his second impeachment trial, then mocked Democrats for impeaching the former president in the first place, saying, “Why are Democrats so concerned about having [Trump] on the ballot in 4 years? ”

But Cramer’s thinking on Trump now seems to have evolved: Satisfying his party leader is no longer the only political consideration to weigh. And he is far from alone.

Other Trumpy Republicans who voted to close debate on the infrastructure bill – a necessary step towards its expected passage this week – include Lindsey Graham (SC), Chuck Grassley (IA) and John Hoeven (ND). Meanwhile, 29 Republicans voted against approving the bill.

Senatorial Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has become a frequent target of Trump’s wrath after McConnell spoke out against his efforts to reverse his electoral defeat to Biden, voted in favor of the procedure of the bill on infrastructure. Last week, McConnell called the legislation, which includes $ 550 billion in new spending over five years, “excellent luck” for “a bipartisan achievement for the country.”

But not surprisingly, Trump is not interested in “bipartisan success stories”. The irony is that when Trump was president he could theoretically have been the one to have achieved such success: during his administration, empty promises of infrastructure legislation were so often waved that ‘infrastructure week’ became a punchline. But now that he’s out of office, Trump is urging Republicans to wait even longer.

“Whether it’s the House or the Senate, think twice before you approve this terrible deal. Republicans should wait until after midterm, when they have all the strength they need to strike a good deal, ”Trump said in his statement on Saturday, without specifying what“ a good deal ”would be for him.

Senate Republicans have decided bipartisanship is in their best interests this time around

While infrastructure is proving to be an area where Senate Republicans are ready to break with Trump, it is too early to tell if this is the start of a trend.

On the one hand, some of the 18 Republican senators who voted to end debate on the infrastructure bill may still end up voting against it. But at the end of the day, the votes should be there for the bill to pass, meaning that in this case, Republican senators seem to have calculated that they are doing something for their constituents and demonstrating that the Senate is not. totally broken is worth the compromise of handing Biden a bipartisan victory.

That doesn’t mean Biden’s legislative agenda will run smoothly, however. After all, McConnell said in May that “I’m one hundred percent focused on this administration,” and with Republicans entrenched against any sort of voting rights legislation, it’s unclear what major policy areas might be ripe for. a bipartite agreement. after infrastructure.

It is also easier for Republicans in the Senate to walk away from Trump than it is for members of the GOP House. While calling the infrastructure bill “one of the most important steps yet taken by elected Republicans to challenge Mr. Trump,” Luke Broadwater and Emily Cochrane of the New York Times note that Republicans like Cramer who are not running for re-election in 2022 are I don’t really feel the heat. But for members of the House, a bitter statement by the former president could lead to serious problems for their political future.

The vast majority of Republicans are opposed to the legislation. House Republicans are more closely tied to Mr. Trump than ever before, and many continue to support his election lies and conspiracy theories about the Jan.6 attack on Capitol Hill. And as the 2022 election looms, members of his party will have less and less leeway to move away from a figure their base still revere.

But whether this is an aberration or the beginning of an era in which Republicans are less afraid of incurring Trump’s wrath, the fact remains that for the first time in many years, a significant number of GOP elected officials are voting in favor of a major piece of legislation that will offer their constituents something beyond tax cuts disproportionately targeting the rich. It’s something to celebrate.