By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
MAY 6, 2025 | Last week, there were two significant votes in the U.S. Senate that may show signs of an initial crack in the Republican Party ranks that might eventually curtail President Trump’s efforts to drastically change our country.
Three Republican senators essentially crossed the aisle and voted with Democrats on a measure that would have stopped a Republican effort to pass a bill declaring that each day for the rest of the congressional session would not “constitute a day for the purpose of the National Emergencies Act.” The vote was 49-49, with one senator in each party not voting.
The Republicans were Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
In another vote, those three senators, plus Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, also voted together with Democrats to block tariffs on imports from Canada. With the Senate voting 51-48, the measure ended Trump’s emergency declaration on fentanyl trafficking on Canadian imports.
In our country, Trump’s continual bombastic outbursts seem to be swaying away some of his former supporters. Worldwide in Australia and Canada, voters turned away from Trump-like candidates to give big victories to liberal parties, showing what the world thinks of our president.
It was back in 1976, that the National Emergencies Art (NEA) was passed, giving the president broad powers to take actions in emergencies. The NEA came because of congressional concerns about the continuing nature of invoked emergency authorities and the absence of congressional review after their activation.
The legislation allowed termination of existing national emergencies and created a pair of mechanisms for congressional oversight of future presidential emergency declarations. This oversight includes procedures for expedited consideration of legislation terminating a national emergency, and continuous six-month review periods for Congress to consider taking up such legislation.
The law establishing the ability of presidents to declare a national emergency, confers on presidents an unusually flexible authority. But the law also provides a fail-safe mechanism for Congress to ensure the president doesn’t, in lawmakers’ eyes, go too far.
But this year, the U.S. House has thrown a monkey wrench into this law, by saying that essentially Congress cannot act on this law during the remaining time of this congressional session.
Republicans in the Congress have shown little resistance to the many efforts of President Trump’s drastic changes. If these Republicans would show leadership, and invoke the National Emergencies Act repeal of his executive powers, the president would be halted at his efforts to change the country via tariffs, disregarding approved congressional spending measures, seeking to change Social Security, curtailing many government programs, et al.
But no. These congressional Republicans are scared to death that if they oppose Trump, he will spend millions to defeat them in their next election. They sit mutely, doing nothing to help our country, only wanting to perpetuate themselves in Congress. That’s not worthy of a statesman.
Our hopes are that more congressional Republicans, particularly in the Senate, will see that their lack of action is hurting the country, and will get tired of Mr. Trump’s bullying them.
If one more Republican senator jumps ship and starts voting with the Democratic side, and eliminates the president’s ability to act under a national emergency, President Trump’s pronouncements could be null and void.
This could get our country to return to a more-normal pace, thwart Trump’s radical efforts, and allow many Americans to breathe a sigh of relief.
So the question is: when will more elected Republicans show a sign of life, stand on their two hind legs, and help bring our country back to a more normal state? Their honor and legacy will suffer if these lawmakers don’t stand up to Donald Trump.
Thank you, Senators Rand Paul, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and even Mitch McConnell. Keep together and vote with Democratic senators to return our government to normalcy.
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