Civic Register
| 10.10.17

Why The Mudslinging Between Trump and Corker Actually Matters

Join us and tell your reps how you feel!

What’s the story?

The current feud between President Trump and Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), which began after Corker suggested last week the administration was in chaos, escalated over the weekend with Twitter barbs traded back and forth, and hit new heights with an explosive New York Times interview in which Corker depicted Trump as bumbling towards WWIII, garners headlines because it is unprecedented for a sitting president to go after senior congressional leadership of his own party. And the ugly tone of the insults being traded back and forth certainly titillates.

But it’s not the insults themselves that matter as much as the potential they have to tank the president’s and the GOP’s legislative goals.

Why does it matter?

Republicans only have a two seat majority in the Senate, meaning they are functioning with a razor-thin margin to pass any significant legislation under reconciliation rules, which only require a simple majority vote. The long-awaited GOP tax overhaul falls under these rules, assuming Congress can pass a budget first.

Corker voted yes on the GOP appropriations bills in the Senate Finance Committee, and has said he will vote yes when the bills reach the Senate floor, but that’s no guarantee on tax reform. Corker is historically a deficit reduction hawk, meaning he opposes any legislation that increases the federal deficit.

Even with the administration’s optimistic economic growth forecasts, the GOP tax reform plan is likely to increase the deficit. Corker would have been a tough sell on the legislation before. Now that he and the president are so publicly at odds? The White House may not be able to make that sale.

Also, Corker chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. That is the committee which drafted the necessary legislation for implementing the Iran Nuclear Deal, and would be responsible for drafting any further legislation if the president decertifies it.

If Corker bucks the administration on taking steps to impose new economic sanctions on Iran or other measures there may not be much the White House can do to advance their agenda. Coordination between the White House and Congress is the name of the game in Washington, and alienating Corker may keep the necessary coordination from happening.

Finally, if the president pushes out current Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who recently was reported to have called the president a "moron", it is the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that is responsible for vetting anyone the president nominates as a replacement. Corker has been vocal in his support of Tillerson, casting him as someone who’s helping control for the president’s “chaos”. If the president ousts Tillerson, Corker could hold up confirmation of a replacement.

What do you think?

Does President Trump’s tumultuous relationships with senior GOP leaders concern you? Are those congressional leaders doing necessary work to "contain" the president, or are they inappropriately subverting his agenda? If the GOP fractures and moderate Republicans are marginalized, what do you think will happen to our political landscape?

Tell us in the comments what you think, then use the Take Action button to tell your reps!

— Asha Sanaker

(Photo Credit: U.S. Dept of State via Flickr / Creative Commons)

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