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GOP Lawmaker Pronounces Trump Agenda 'Dead' Following Russia Sanctions Reversal
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Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) on Saturday warned many fellow Republican lawmakers will no longer be supporting the president’s agenda.
President Donald Trump on Friday reversed course on sweeping sanctions targeting Russia’s economy, sparking outrage from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers, including Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who stated plainly on X that Trump’s agenda is now “dead.”
“Congress has a lame-duck session,” Bacon wrote Saturday.
The Nebraska Republican continued, “The President has an agenda: supplemental, reconciliation, Ballroom, etc… I think the agenda is dead. Many of us won’t fund these things knowing he is propping up a dictator’s invasion and throwing an ally under the bus.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged supporters to fight for the sanctions.
Trump signed legislation just last month named after late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) that sought to suffocate the flow of financial resources fueling Russia’s ongoing war on Ukraine, but signed an executive order Friday officially putting those sanctions on hold.
Trump had announced last week that the U.S. agreed to purchase millions of metric tons of diesel from Russia, in an attempt to lower global fuel prices that have been exacerbated by his war on Iran — despite this potentially hurting Ukraine in its war with Russia.
The sanctions package reversed by Trump would have targeted Russian officials, banks and a shadow fleet of oil tankers keeping Russian energy moving. It also would have directed Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the top five importers of Russian oil or natural gas.
Bacon is only one of many Republican lawmakers to publicly oppose Trump’s reversal.
He reacted Saturday after CNN host Kate Bolduan reshared a social media post from Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who said it’s “unconscionable” that Trump is “capitulating to a Russian dictator who illegally invaded Ukraine and butchers innocent civilians every single day.”
Tillis argued that Trump can fight energy prices “by solving the Iran problem, not by doing a solid for [Russian President] Vladimir Putin.” Bolduan praised Tillis in her post for not “holding back,” noting Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) has shared similar outrage.
Bacon notably isn’t running for re-election in the upcoming midterms, which could explain his open break with Trump over the sanctions reversal. Cornyn is similarly an outgoing GOP lawmaker, and has previously predicted catastrophic midterm results for Republicans.