The Cowardice of Senate Republicans

In 2021, ten of my Republican colleagues in the House joined me in voting to impeach Donald Trump after he incited an attack on our democracy. We knew what it would mean for our political futures—ostracization, primary challenges, and in most cases, the end of our congressional careers. We did it anyway because it was the right thing to do.

Yet, while those of us in the House put our careers on the line, Senate Republicans—who were in a far better position to hold Trump accountable—have shown a staggering lack of courage. Even those who occasionally posture as principled conservatives continue to cave when it actually matters. The latest example? Their complete submission to Trump’s hand-picked cabinet nominees, even those they know are unfit to serve.

Take Senators Todd Young and Bill Cassidy—two men who at times have demonstrated independent thinking and a sense of duty to the Constitution. Young, an Indiana Republican, voted to certify the 2020 election results despite immense pressure. Cassidy, to his credit, was one of the seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial. That took guts.

But when faced with another test of courage—standing up to Trump’s disastrous personnel choices—both men folded. They are up for reelection, and rather than risk the wrath of a Trump-backed primary challenger, they’ve chosen the path of least resistance. Cassidy, once a voice of reason in his party, now falls in line with Trump’s demands, most notably after expressing concern about Robert Kennedy Jr, a known anti-vaxxer. The pressure was too great, and he feigned a change of heart. Young, who once showed signs of independence, has now found it politically convenient to keep his head down, and support Tulsi Gabbard, who he had initially expressed opposition to until, you guessed it, the pressure came.

And they are not alone. The Senate GOP, as a whole, has proven itself to be a body of subservient enablers, afraid to challenge a man they privately disdain. They know Trump’s nominees are incompetent or corrupt, but they won’t dare cross him. Why? Because staying in power is more important to them than upholding their constitutional duties. How will they ever be invited to cocktail parties, or retain the title “Mr. Senator” if they cross him?

What makes this all the more disgraceful is that senators—especially those in safe seats or who aren’t up for reelection—have the luxury of independence. They don’t face the same two-year election cycle grind as House members. They could actually take a stand without immediate political consequences. And yet, even those who don’t face voters for years still cower before Trump.

Sure, there are occasional moments of resistance from senators not facing reelection, but they are fleeting and ultimately meaningless if those same individuals fold when the stakes are high. The reality is that no Republican senator who is currently in an election cycle has defied Trump on anything of consequence. Not one.

Contrast this with what happened in the House. Ten Republicans—many in competitive districts—voted to impeach Trump. Liz Cheney, Peter Meijer, Jaime Herrera Beutler, and others knew they were signing their own political death warrants, and they did it anyway. Even in defeat, they stood for something bigger than their own careers. What Senate Republican can say the same today?

This is the great irony of today’s GOP: It is a party that punishes courage and rewards cowardice. Those who took a stand after January 6th have been purged or silenced. Those who know better but choose to keep quiet are rewarded with another term, another committee assignment, another pat on the back from Trump’s inner circle.

This is how democracies decay—not through dramatic coups, but through the slow erosion of moral courage among those entrusted with power. The Senate GOP has abandoned its role as a check on the executive branch, choosing instead to function as an extension of Trump’s will. Sounds like late Rome.

There will come a time when today’s Republican senators will have to answer for their complicity. History will not be kind to those who knew better but did nothing. It will not be kind to those who traded their integrity for a few more years in office. And it certainly will not be kind to those who, when faced with a choice between principle and power, chose power every single time.

The question for Senate Republicans is this: Do you want to be remembered as leaders or as cowards? Because right now, the answer is clear.