The Republican midterm wipeout has positioned one of Donald Trump’s least favorite GOP senators to create nothing but headaches for him when Democrats take control in January.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is set to become the ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, a post that opened up when Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) lost her seat. For Trump, that means dealing with an "increasingly powerful Republican antagonist who could pose a bigger liability for his agenda," Politico reported.
The Alaska senator, 69, won’t control the committee; Democrats will, but she has promised to “get back to governing in the middle,” and she’s expected to join forces with Democrats to defend Congress’ control over federal spending against Trump’s encroachments, according to the report.
Two fights are likely to be at the top of the list: budget director Russ Vought’s attempt to have political appointees sign off on grants, and any repeat of Trump’s mass cancellation of federal funds. Murkowski has publicly condemned both.
Former Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), who led House Appropriations early in Trump’s first term, predicted Vought is in for a fight.
“Russ Vought’s gonna meet his match,” he told Politico. “She believes in the process, the power of the purse, and I think she’s going to be a power to be reckoned with. Not that Susan wasn’t. But I’m hugely admiring of Murkowski’s outspokenness. She’s had quite a lot of opinions on the administration breaking the law.”
Her independence could cost her. If she runs again in 2028, Murkowski will almost certainly face a primary opponent with Trump’s blessing. He already endorsed one against her in 2021 and labeled her “bad for Alaska.”
Democrats, who expect at least a four-seat majority with races in Mississippi and Alaska still being counted, could find her a reliable partner. And with a wave of Republican incumbents voted out, a moderate like Murkowski may now carry more weight in the Senate GOP, the report notes.
“She’s bigger than the appropriations process, which is great,” Frelinghuysen said. “She’s going to be a voice that people are going to be listening to, especially after this election.”
Seniority rules mean the job is hers for the taking. She hasn’t formally accepted it, but she told an Alaska radio station after the election that Collins’ loss “is going to put me in a position of higher leadership” on the committee, a boost that could also help her if she seeks another term.