Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is speaking out about the pressure Congress faces under the Trump administration. She says lawmakers are failing in their constitutional duty to check the president’s power, as the White House makes drastic changes that have left government workers fearful of retaliation.
“We are all afraid,” Murkowski said on Wednesday during a meeting with nonprofit leaders in Alaska. “It’s quite a statement. But we are in a time and a place where I certainly have not been here before. And I’ll tell ya, I’m oftentimes very anxious myself about using my voice, because retaliation is real. And that’s not right.”
Murkowski went on to point out that Congress is not fulfilling its duty to act as a check on the executive branch. “It’s called the checks and balances. And right now we are not balancing as the Congress,” she said.
As one of the few Republicans willing to publicly criticize Trump, Murkowski has long been concerned about the lack of opposition within her own party. Just last month, she said that many of her GOP colleagues are “afraid” to speak out against Trump because of the threat of a primary challenge.
Murkowski also expressed alarm about the dismantling of government programs under Trump, citing how the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which was created by Congress, had been “just obliterated” by the administration. She also warned about the dangerous politicization of the judiciary, which she says is undermining faith in the rule of law.
After the event, Murkowski spoke to The Anchorage Daily News about the personal impact of Trump’s actions. She said she had spoken with federal workers who were devastated by being laid off without warning or reason. “They thought they were in a profession they’ve given so much to, thought they were doing well, and literally no notice whatsoever, are terminated and told their work performance are not satisfactory, which was not true, and didn’t know what was going to happen next,” she explained.
The senator also revealed the level of fear she’s hearing from government workers. “The fear I have heard from people that have said I’m afraid to talk to my co-workers of my status of where we are because will I be viewed as questioning my supervisors or my commitment to the agency here,” she said. “These are real emotions, these are real people, these are real fears, and they need to be heard.”
Murkowski’s comments highlight the fear and anxiety sweeping through the federal workforce under Trump’s administration and the reluctance of many Republicans to speak out against it.
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