With three Cabinet members ousted by Donald Trump since March 5, a handful of Republican senators are growing anxious for several reasons that the firing hammer is about to drop on more, in part because the president is in a “bad mood” with his administration flailing.
According to a report from Politico’s Jordain Carney, four GOP lawmakers are anticipating a purge in part because the midterms are coming up and, should the GOP lose control of the Senate, confirmation hearings under a Democratic majority would be problematic at best.
Add to that, Trump appears to be in a firing mood.
The timeline is becoming critical. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer's departure this week follows Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi out the door — a pattern that has GOP lawmakers reconsidering the Senate's already compressed legislative calendar.
Senate Republicans face an impossible arithmetic. "The number of working days are very limited," Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) said. "You just do the math. It's a very compressed schedule."
Tillis is urging Trump to move quickly on any remaining Cabinet changes. A group of Republican senators believes the president should make further personnel moves sooner rather than later — before the midterms potentially shift Senate control to Democrats. Waiting, they fear, could mean confirmation delays or complete obstruction if Democrats take over.
An anonymous GOP senator acknowledged the political reality: Any shakeup depends on Trump's whims, but "it would 'make sense to do it now," they told Politico.
Three Republican senators are privately predicting Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick will be removed next. A fourth expressed concern about how long Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard would survive, citing her split with Trump over the Iran war and surveillance authority issues — though she's believed to have powerful White House allies.
FBI Director Kash Patel faces fresh vulnerabilities. After The Atlantic published allegations of drinking and erratic behavior — which Patel denied while launching a defamation lawsuit — two GOP senators said they believed Patel was "on the rocks."
According to the report, Trump's mood –– as usual –– is driving policy. "He's in a bad mood, so he's letting a lot of them go. He's preparing to really let a lot of them go," one senator said about Trump. "It's not like we'll have that much time," the senator added, warning the purge window was closing.
Some senators are less worried, noting Trump often deliberates privately for months before firing anyone. "I don't think that's how it works," Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) said. "Typically, you see some changes before, like right after the midterms, in preparation for the next two-year cycle."
