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Donald Trump violated federal law when he fired 12 inspectors general without giving the Senate 30 days notice that he intended to fire them. The IGs are statutorily protected from this presidential power grab, which the courts will likely have to sort out.
After Trump’s illegal conduct, Senate Democrats had a choice. They could come together and protest what Trump did by voting against Trump’s DHS nominee, Kristi Noem, and then go in front of the cameras and tell the country that not a single Democrat would be voting in favor of a Trump nominee until the IGs had their jobs back.
It would have sent a message that Democrats, even though they are in the Senate minority, are unanimously opposed to what Trump did.
Senate Democrats did not choose this path.
Instead, six Senate Democrats voted for Noem, who has no DHS experience but was the governor of South Dakota, and made her confirmation a bipartisan vote of 59-34.
The six Democrats who voted for Noem were John Fetterman, Jeanne Shaheen, Tim Kaine, Scott Peters, Alisa Slotkin, and Andy Kim.
Senators should take their advice and consent role seriously, but Noem was going to be confirmed with Republican votes anyway.
If there was a nominee to use to send a message to Trump that his power grabs and his illegal actions won’t be tolerated, it was Noem.
Six Senate Democrats normalized Trump’s actions by rewarding him with a bipartisan confirmation.
During Trump’s first week in office, House Democrats have been much more potent in their pushback against Trump than their Senate counterparts. Under the leadership of Hakeem Jeffries, House Democrats are already saying no to Trump.
In case Democrats, their consultants, and pundits in Washington, D.C., are puzzled as to why some of the Democratic base is so fed up with them right now, this behavior is a textbook example of why.
What do you think about the Senate Democrats who voted to confirm Noem? Share your thoughts in the comments below.