Steve Daines

Congressional Cowards is a weekly series highlighting the worst Donald Trump defenders on Capitol Hill, who refuse to criticize him—no matter how disgraceful or lawless his actions.Not even accepting a $400 million bribe from a foreign country is enough to get President Donald Trump's biggest supporters in Congress to deviate.Hardcore Trumpers, as well as some other big-name GOP leaders, refused to get on Trump's bad side by saying that he can't accept the big, fancy luxury jet that Qatar’s ruling family offered. Trump told people in private that he wants the jet because it’s “humiliating” to fly in the “outdated” Air Force One.House Speaker Mike Johnson said that “it’s not my lane" to weigh in on whether Trump should accept the jet, even though the Constitution quite literally says that Congress would have to approve the gift. “Look, I've been a little busy on reconciliation, so I'm not following all the twists and turns of the Qatar jet. I’ve certainly heard about it. My understanding is it's not a personal gift to the president, it’s a gift to the United States, and other nations give us gifts all the time,” he said at a press conference.xxYouTube VideoMeanwhile, Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland said he has "no problems" with Trump accepting the bribe, and Rep. Ryan Zinke of Montana said it's okay because Trump is a rich guy who needs fancy things."He's a billionaire businessman from New York. He doesn't sleep in a sleeping bag overnight. He says, 'Hey, this is a great plane,'" Zinke told CNN.xxYouTube VideoAnd Sens. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and Steve Daines of Montana are celebrating the bribe—because it’s free.“You can’t beat free,” Daines said."Free is good. You know, we don't have a lot of money right now to buy things like that,” Tuberville told CNN. xxYouTube VideoOf course, it’s not fully free, as it would take hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to outfit the plane for the needs of Air Force One.Then there’s Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, who said he has "zero issue" with Trump accepting the plane. And you could almost hear the wheels turning in Sen. Rick Scott of Florida’s head as he tried to work through how he could justify defending Trump on this issue.“Gosh, let me give you a plane. I mean, that seems pretty nice, but they support Hamas, so I don't know,” Scott said. But while a number of Republicans support Trump in taking the bribe, this issue has gotten more Republicans than usual to criticize Dear Leader, citing concerns with accepting a plane from a country that has offered funding to Hamas."I do think the jet probably sends the wrong signal, and I don't like the look or appearance of it, so I would hope he would reject it. The Constitution specifically says you can't take gifts from foreign leaders," Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky told Fox business.Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia told CNN, “I’d be checking for bugs is what I’d be checking for.”Even Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas isn’t onboard with accepting the jet from Qatar."I’m not a fan of Qatar. I think they have a really disturbing pattern of funding theocratic lunatics who want to murder us, funding Hamas and Hezbollah, and that’s a real problem. I also think the plane poses significant espionage and surveillance problems, so we’ll see how this issue plays out but I certainly have concerns,” he said on CNBC.xxYouTube VideoMeanwhile, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said that it would be ridiculous to think that the Qataris won’t be expecting anything in return for the massive gift.“How many of us have actually been offered the promise of a jet? When you get something of that value from a country, one typically thinks that there's something in it for the country that is offering it,” she said.And for Rep. Jeff Hurd of Colorado, the main issue with Trump accepting a bribe from Qatar is the country’s ties to Hamas."I have serious concerns with this so-called gift from the government of Qatar—security concerns, ethical concerns with this used airplane. But it's also a gift from a government that supports terrorist organizations like Hamas. So, if there were a Democratic president that was accepting a gift like this, we'd be outraged. I think it’s something that we should look at carefully,” he told CNN.With so many Republicans suggesting that they don’t support Trump’s acceptance of the bribe, it’s unclear whether Trump will still go through with the transaction.But if this does go to Congress, which would be constitutionally required to take a vote, it looks exceedingly unlikely that he’d be able to accept his precious plane anyway.Campaign Action

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"Can't beat free," one Republican senator said of the president's plan to accept the luxury gift from the monarchy of Qatar.

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WASHINGTON — Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) doesn't think Elon Musk has any business messing with the employees at government agencies where secretaries have been confirmed. Raw Story spoke to senators on Capitol Hill on Tuesday as protesters filled the offices of several lawmakers to protest massive cuts at government agencies. The effort is part of President Donald Trump and Musk's attempt to find trillions in savings. Called the Department of Government Efficiency, Musk's job isn't an official government post, which prompted lawsuits alleging it is unconstitutional. "Oh, I don't think — I don't mind a change agent on the front end, but once we get Senate-confirmed heads of these agencies, he should be going through them," Tillis said about Musk. ALSO READ: Elon Musk's Doge boys think this is a video game as Trump plots his 2nd coup"If I were a senate-confirmed nominee and I have somebody else asking me about my employees, I would not be happy," he continued. He went on to say he was glad to see what new FBI Director Kash Patel told agents under him after Musk demanded all federal workers submit five things they did the previous week to justify their jobs. Patel told his employees to ignore the demand, though Trump then told the press that all employees should answer the questionnaire, and he thought it was a good idea. Raw Story remarked that Republicans are receiving blowback from the cuts. "It's okay to do this, but if you have sympathetic situations, you better have a remediation strategy quickly, or you look like you didn't do your homework," Tillis said. Indeed, many political analysts and lawmakers believe the purge has been indiscriminate to meet a percentage goal. Tillis told another reporter he's hearing from those at home because his state has many medical research institutions. "We'll just have to work through it," said Tillis. "Right now, I'm just trying to figure out where the funding is going. There could be some people who convince me it's nice but not as important as others. I don't mind going through the discussion."He explained, "There's some important stuff going on in North Carolina, and we've got some premier research institutions. So, we have to look at each money frame and see if it's rational."He agreed the terminations "have gotta make sense."Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) said he's not concerned that he'll be punished for the cuts made by Trump's administration. He said it's like a business becoming leaner. "It's part of ways here to make sure we can reduce the massive deficits and debt we have," he said. Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy (CT) has made the rounds on cable news to bash DOGE and the cuts. "Ultimately, they're violating the law right now, as we speak, in multiple ways," he told reporters Tuesday. He told the courts to "weigh in" and tell the executive branch that they have to follow the law. "Republicans are giving away their power every single day," he continued. "They've decided to cut down multiple Article I powers and it's a disaster for our democracy."

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is forming his kitchen cabinet — an inner circle of advisers outside of elected leadership, Axios has learned. Why it matters: A new leader means new alliances and new voices with influence.Zoom in: Thune is naming four senators as his counselors, a Senate GOP leadership aide tells Axios. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), who helped give Thune his majority as NRSC chair last cycle.MarkWayne Mullin (R-Okla.), a Trump ally and vocal supporter of Thune's leadership bid from the start.John Cornyn (R-Tex.), who ran against Thune for leader, and was also a part of McConnell's leadership circle.Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), who was praised for leading the the effort of re-writing the RNC platform last year — in a Trump-like style.Zoom out: The unofficial advisory board are invited to join the elected Senate GOP leadership team in regular Monday leadership meetings in Thune's office.Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.)GOP conference chair Tom Cotton (R-Ark.)Policy chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.)Vice chair of policy James Lankford (R-Okla.)NRSC Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.)

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Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is telling colleagues that negotiations to allow the Washington Commanders to return to the RFK Stadium site are making progress — and a deal could be included in the short-term spending bill, Axios has learned.Why it matters: Schumer still wants Maryland, the NFL and the Commanders to reach an agreement that satisfies all parties. It's not clear that they have done so. But Schumer's indication he might attach the House-passed legislation to the spending bill opens up a massive hole for the Commanders — and fans of returning football to the nation's capital — to run through this year. The team currently plays about five miles from D.C., at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland.Driving the news: The Commanders want the option of building a new stadium at RFK and have worked to reach an agreement.Schumer has been speaking directly with N.F.L. Commissioner Roger Goodell, Commanders owner Josh Harris and the Maryland senators for status reports on the negotiations, according to people familiar with the matter.If a deal is reached, Schumer would support including it in the short-term spending bill, according to people familiar with the matter.Zoom out: If Congress passes legislation for a redevelopment bill this year, the city and the Washington Commanders can consider a massive new sports and entertainment district, with a potential football stadium on the 190-acre site.The city of D.C. is broadly supportive. Mayor Muriel Bowser said last month a redevelopment would bring "affordable housing, world-class recreational facilities, green spaces and economic opportunity for District residents and visitors alike."The bottom line: Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) had been holding up the House legislation since May, but he's indicated he's no longer opposed, according to people familiar with the matter.Maryland's political leaders have brought their own demands to the negotiations, according to the Washington Post.

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Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer's (D-N.Y.) late push to get landmark marijuana legislation passed this year looks doomed, sources tell Axios.Why it matters: The next few weeks are Democrats' last chance to get the weed banking bill passed. Now it will have to find an unlikely way through a Republican-dominated Congress.The Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation Banking Act would protect banks that work with cannabis companies, giving the marijuana industry access to more sources of funding.Schumer pushed for the bill to be attached to must-pass packages before the end of this year, but sources tell us there is no path to getting it through the Senate this Congress.The big picture: The marijuana bill has picked up bipartisan support but Republican leaders, including outgoing Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), are opposed to the legislation.It's proving difficult for the parties to get any bills to ride along with must-pass funding bills before the end of the year.Sources tell Axios the government funding package and a defense authorization bill are likely to be very narrow in focus, leaving little room for a bill like the cannabis banking one to get attached.Yes, but: Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), an ally of GOP leadership, is a cosponsor of the bill, and it has bipartisan support.Schumer has long been a proponent of the legislation, and Axios is told he will continue to push for the bill's passage by the end of the year.

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