Politics watchers have a nickname for a group of lame-duck senators in Congress: the “YOLO caucus,” using the acronym “You Only Live Once” to imply that these senators are more emboldened now that they have little to lose.
Their pushback stands out in a Republican Party whose members rarely oppose President Donald Trump’s administration. In recent weeks, Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina bottled up Mr. Trump’s nominee for attorney general while demanding an end to the administration’s planned $1.8 billion fund to pay people who claim the Justice Department has been “weaponized” against them.
Hours after voting yes in committee to help send acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination to the full Senate, Mr. Cornyn rejected the “YOLO” label.
Why We Wrote This
Two GOP senators who are leaving office temporarily withheld their approval of President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general over concerns with an administration policy. It might be a sign that Republicans without an election to worry about feel more free to disagree with this president.
“I don’t think you can explain everything up here based on personalities,” Mr. Cornyn, who lost his primary in May, said during an interview. “This was strictly based on concern about the merits of the arrangement. So, it’s not about payback, it’s not about YOLO.”
During a public meeting before the Judiciary Committee vote, Mr. Tillis, who is retiring, also spoke about principle as opposed to feeling freer to express his views without having to align with the administration or the Republican caucus.
“Instead of criticizing people on the other side of the aisle, why don’t you go back and hold your own conference to a higher standard?” said Mr. Tillis at Tuesday’s hearing. “That is what I’m doing, that is what Senator Cornyn is doing, and that is what I think the American people want more of.”
Mr. Trump has said Mr. Cornyn never had a problem with the fund until he was primaried. The president has continued to praise the fund, including as recently as Monday.
Senators Cornyn and Tillis forced the administration to state in writing that the fund is permanently dead, making it politically challenging if they were to try to resurrect it at a later date. The statement also narrows Mr. Trump’s immunity from IRS audits, clarifying that his immunity only applies retroactively.
The Monitor asked a dozen other Republican senators, including two other members of the Judiciary Committee, what they thought about the deal. All declined to comment except Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, who said, “It’s all about getting reelected up here,” and that he supported the anti-weaponization fund.
The deal has come under criticism by Democrats, including Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who say it’s not legally binding. They say Mr. Blanche did not rescind Mr. Trump’s original settlement, and the administration could still create a separate fund to accomplish virtually the same goals.
Mr. Cornyn told reporters, “It was the best we could do in these circumstances.”
The fund was part of a settlement Mr. Trump reached with the IRS after an agency contractor leaked his and his elder sons’ confidential tax returns.
The idea received strong bipartisan backlash, particularly because of the possibility it could be used to pay those convicted of crimes committed during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol. In June, less than a month after it was announced, Mr. Blanche said during congressional testimony that the fund was dead.
That didn’t satisfy Senators Cornyn and Tillis, whose votes Mr. Blanche needed for his nomination to advance. They wanted confirmation in writing, and received it just days before the vote.
The date of the full Senate vote was not set as of Tuesday.