Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), a moderate Republican, cautioned her colleagues against giving up their legislative authority, as prescribed by the Constitution.
In remarks to NBC News’s Ryan Nobles, Murkowski said if Congress lets the executive branch overstep its prescribed constitutional role, the White House is likely to do so again in the future.
“When the executive basically blows by Congress, or rolls right over Congress, and we allow that, we’re ceding our responsibility,” Murkowski said.
She added that it’s possible to be a “100-percent supporter of President Trump and still stand up for the institution of the Senate, for the legislative branch, with our authorities that are prescribed to us specifically by the Constitution.”
“But if we don’t,” she cautioned, “if we just say, ‘Well, we like his policies, and so therefore we’re going cede some of our authorities’— Don’t think that this is the last time you’re going to see that.”
The Trump administration has taken several bold steps that have prompted legal questions about the scope of the president’s authority, from whether he can cut funds appropriated by legislators to whether he can eliminate entire departments that Congress created by statute.
Congress also has the legislative responsibility to conduct oversight of agencies that fall under the legislative branch. In recent weeks, Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has gone into federal agencies to identify and eliminate waste, fraud and abuse.
Some congressional Republicans have suggested agency heads be more involved in implementing changes after DOGE identifies them.
“If you want accountability, let’s ask for accountability. But let’s do that through the proper chain,” Murkowski said.
