Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), a high-ranking Republican who sits on the House Budget and Appropriations committees, on Wednesday warned President Donald Trump against publicly attacking Republican senators.
“You’re not going to bully United States senators, this isn’t the Apprentice,” Cole told the Associated Press. “You can’t look at them and say you’re fired, you’re going to need their vote and you oughta remember that they’re going to be at the table in every major deal you need for the next three years. So I just don’t think that’s a productive way to proceed.”
While Republican lawmakers have been away from Washington, D.C. for the August recess, Trump has gone after several Republican senators. His feud with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) spilled into the open, with Trump publishing tweets chastising McConnell for failing to pass Obamacare repeal. Trump has also launched attacks against Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), who recently published a book critical of Trump.
When Congress returns in September, lawmakers must tackle several must-pass bills, including legislation to fund the government and to raise the debt ceiling. They will likely push for an aid package to fund recovery in Texas and other parts of the south following the devastation of Hurricane Harvey. Trump has also pushed for the funding legislation to include money to build a border wall, and he will need all the support he can muster in the Senate, which has a slim majority of just 52 Republican senators.
