When the pain hits home, Republicans balk at Trump's spending cuts and tariffs
From reducing NIH funding to slashing USAID to new tariffs, Republican lawmakers are beginning to speak out — carefully — against some of Trump's actions.
WASHINGTON — Republicans on Capitol Hill are full of praise for President Donald Trump’s flurry of executive actions and attempts to slash some federal spending, selling it as the kind of disruption that Americans voted for last fall.
That is, until the pain risks hitting home for their constituents.
From cuts to health and agriculture funding to fears of new tariffs negatively impacting local industries and consumers, Republican lawmakers are starting to push back against certain aspects of Trump's plans. And they are doing so carefully, acknowledging that voters want to shake up business-as-usual in the nation’s capital — and wanting to avoid Trump’s ire.
Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., recently pushed back on the administration’s funding reductions under the National Institutes of Health. The University of Alabama at Birmingham is a major recipient of that money, which has helped make it the state’s largest employer.
Britt told AL.com that “a smart, targeted approach is needed in order to not hinder life-saving, groundbreaking research at high-achieving institutions like those in Alabama.”
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