Trump cuts hit red states, triggering GOP pushback

By Ben Leonard, Hailey Fuchs | 02/18/2025 06:26 AM EST

Republican lawmakers try to intervene with the administration as local fallout grows.

Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho).

Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), chair of the Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, expressed concern about National Park Service staffing. Francis Chung/POLITICO

Republican lawmakers are pushing back against sweeping cuts to the federal government launched by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, as their downsizing crusade begins to hit GOP constituents.

A growing number of GOP lawmakers are trying to intervene with the Trump administration and are weighing legislation to circumvent the changes.

But with the Department of Government Efficiency and the Office of Management and Budget moving at a rapid clip and flouting federal law to carve up the government, the lawmakers face monumental challenges in getting the White House to spare their constituents from the ax.

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Idaho Republican Rep. Mike Simpson, a senior appropriator whose district is home to a number of National Park Service sites, said in an interview his staff is talking to the administration about how an OMB-directed, governmentwide hiring freeze will affect the National Park Service.

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