Cassidy breaks with Trump on Iran, spending after reelection defeat

By Nolan Mckendry
The Center Square

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., broke with President Donald Trump on multiple fronts this week after losing his reelection bid, including joining a Senate vote Tuesday to advance a measure aimed at ending U.S. military action against Iran.

Cassidy was one of four Republicans who joined Democrats in a 50-47 vote to discharge the resolution from committee. The move does not pass the measure, but it allows the Senate to place it on the calendar for a future vote.

The resolution asserts Congress’ constitutional authority over war powers and would seek to end military action against Iran. A final Senate vote has not been scheduled.

“While I support the administration’s efforts to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program, the White House and Pentagon have left Congress in the dark on Operation Epic Fury,” Cassidy wrote on social media. “Until the administration provides clarity, no congressional authorization or extension can be justified.”

Cassidy’s vote came days after he finished third in Louisiana’s Republican primary, ending his bid for a third term. U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, R-Baton Rouge, won the race after receiving Trump’s endorsement. State Treasurer John Fleming, R-Minden, finished second.

The Baton Rouge Republican has been more openly critical of Trump since the loss.

Earlier Tuesday, Cassidy also criticized a proposal to include $1 billion for a White House ballroom in a broader immigration enforcement funding bill.

“This is a spit-in-the-eye insult to all my taxpayers in Louisiana, to spend a billion on a ballroom when we should be doing something about the high price of gas, groceries, and healthcare,” Cassidy told reporters.

On Monday, Cassidy criticized Trump’s proposed $1.8 billion fund for conservatives who say they were targeted under President Joe Biden.

“I don’t actually see any legal precedent for that. We are a nation of laws, you can’t just make up things whole-piece,” Cassidy told reporters in the Capitol, according to The Times-Picayune.

In an interview with The Center Square, Cassidy said the best way to limit an overly powerful executive branch is for Congress to do its job more effectively.

“A lot of the executive orders have been reversing Biden executive orders,” Cassidy said. “Which begs the question, why has Congress, since George W., been resorting to executive orders? Because in part, Congress has not worked well.”

Cassidy said a stronger Congress would be better positioned to push back against presidents from either party.

“The solution to an executive which is too strong is for Congress to exert itself,” Cassidy said.

Cassidy has long had a strained relationship with Trump and the Republican base after voting to convict Trump following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. He was one of seven Republican senators to do so.

After losing Saturday’s primary, Cassidy made what appeared to be a pointed reference to Trump’s false claims about the 2020 election.

“You don’t pout, you don’t whine, you don’t claim that the election was stolen,” Cassidy told supporters. “You thank the voters for the privilege of representing the state or the country for as long as you’ve had that privilege. And that’s what I’m doing right now.”

Cassidy said he will continue working with the Trump administration until his term ends in January, focusing on issues he says will help Louisiana and the country.