Trump Defies Critics as GOP Lawmakers Push Back on Demands

President Donald Trump is forging ahead with politically explosive proposals — including a $1.776 billion compensation fund for Jan. 6 defendants and a $1 billion White House ballroom security request — even as Republican lawmakers show rare public defiance and his approval rating sinks to a second-term low of 37%. The convergence of crises this week has exposed a deepening rift between the White House and Capitol Hill, with profound implications for the 2026 midterm elections.

Senate Republicans Refuse Trump’s Demands

In an extraordinary display of independence, Senate Republicans this week abandoned Trump’s $1 billion security funding request for his new White House ballroom and refused to support the $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” compensation fund for individuals Trump claims were wrongly prosecuted, including those convicted in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. The GOP’s $70 billion budget package for immigration enforcement was postponed, blowing Trump’s June 1 deadline to have it on his desk, as AP News reported.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who is retiring, derided the compensation fund as “stupid on stilts” and a “payout for punks,” asking: “Under what circumstances would it ever make sense to provide restitution for people who were either pled guilty or were found guilty in a court of law?” Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called it a “slush fund to pay people who assault cops,” declaring it “utterly stupid, morally wrong — take your pick.”

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche met for hours behind closed doors with senators over the fund but left without a resolution. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said the discussion likely left the administration with “an appreciation for the depth of feeling on the issue.”

Trump’s IRS Immunity Shocks Tax Experts

In a separate but equally contentious development, it was revealed this week that Trump secured sweeping immunity from IRS audits as part of a settlement to his $10 billion lawsuit over a 2018 leak of his tax returns. The agreement, reported by AP News, “forever bars and precludes” the IRS from examining or prosecuting Trump, his sons, and the Trump Organization regarding current tax filings.

Former IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel called the arrangement “unprecedented,” noting that “people expect the same tax rules and enforcement framework to apply to everybody.” Brandon DeBot, policy director at NYU’s Tax Law Center, warned that the immunity gives the president “completely different set of rules than everyday taxpayers.”

The settlement effectively ends a long-standing IRS probe into whether Trump improperly “double-dipped” on losses from his Chicago skyscraper — a technique that could have resulted in a $100 million tax bill if the IRS had found wrongdoing. The development has raised profound questions about the rule of law, with legal challenges expected.

Justice Department Scrubs Jan. 6 Records

Adding to the week’s turmoil, the Justice Department acknowledged it has removed news releases about Jan. 6 criminal cases from its website, calling the information “partisan propaganda.” As AP News reported, the DOJ’s rapid response account stated: “We are proud to reverse the DOJ’s weaponization under the Biden administration. We will do everything in our power to make whole those who were persecuted for political purposes. This includes stripping DOJ’s website of partisan propaganda.”

The purge follows Trump’s January 2025 pardons of all 1,500-plus Jan. 6 defendants and the DOJ’s recent motion to vacate seditious conspiracy convictions against members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. Police officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6 have sued to block the compensation fund.

Primary Victories Come at a Cost

Trump’s dominance within the Republican Party was on full display this week as his endorsed candidates defeated incumbents including Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), while Trump endorsed Ken Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) in a primary runoff. But these victories, as The Guardian reported, may prove pyrrhic.

Cassidy, who lost his primary on Saturday, returned to Washington and immediately joined Democrats in voting for a war powers resolution to halt Trump’s military action in Iran — the first time such a measure gained enough support to pass the Senate. In the House, enough Republicans broke ranks to force Speaker Mike Johnson to postpone a similar vote.

“You don’t want to have a totally loyal party that’s in the minority. And that’s maybe where we’re headed,” said retiring Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.).

Charlie Sykes, a conservative author, observed: “He’s tightening his grip on his party, for better or for worse. The problem is that most of his victories are coming at the expense of the Republican party rather than the Democrats at this point, which ought to be something of a warning sign.”

Analysis: A Paradox of Power

Trump’s actions this week reveal a fundamental tension: he has never been more dominant within the Republican Party, yet his policies and tactics may be undermining the party’s ability to win general elections. A New York Times/Siena poll showed Trump’s approval rating at 37%, with Republicans trailing Democrats 39% to 50% on the generic congressional ballot.

Kurt Bardella, a former Republican aide, warned: “Donald Trump may have won the battle, but I’m not sure he’s going to end up winning the war because these very men who have now every reason to stick it to him have the power to stop his agenda for the rest of the year and face no consequences because there’s no election hanging over their head any more.”

What’s Next

The GOP’s $70 billion budget package remains stalled until at least June, with no clear path forward. The Texas primary runoff between Cornyn and Paxton will test whether Trump can unseat a sitting Senate leader. Legal challenges to both the IRS immunity deal and the compensation fund are expected. With the midterm elections approaching in November, the political fallout from this week’s events is likely to reshape the campaign landscape — and the future of the Republican Party itself.