Some Democratic senators are now publicly admitting that they made a serious mistake in voting to confirm several of the Cabinet secretaries who are now carrying out President Donald Trump’s destructive agenda.
New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim told Migrant Insider this week that he regrets his vote for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and told the outlet he wouldn’t vote for any future Trump nominees.
New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim
Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said he regrets voting for Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins. “Voting for Collins was a mistake, and I apologize to the veterans of the country,” he told reporters Wednesday
“My one vote I cast for a member of the Trump Cabinet was for now-Secretary Rubio. I regret to say I regret that vote, because once installed in office, he is essentially abandoning the positions he took here as United States senator,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland told CNN Feb. 12.
The Democratic confessions come a month into Trump’s second term where the Cabinet secretaries in question, along with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, have run roughshod over the federal government. Key agencies and departments like the Department of Defense, USAID, the Treasury, the IRS, and the FAA have seen massive firings, systems disruptions, and a rollback of civil rights protections that were in place for decades.
While Trump’s agenda has received an almost unanimous vote of support from his fellow Republicans, Democratic votes have helped to put a bipartisan stamp on the resulting disruption of American life. Trump nominees like Noem, Collins, and former MTV “Real World” star turned Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy all got to their positions with Democratic votes, either directly or through procedural votes.
The biggest beneficiary of this bipartisanship was Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose nomination sailed through 99-0 as senators voted en masse for one of their own.
Since Trump took office, Democrats have been hearing complaints from their core voters that they are not doing enough to oppose him. Some Democratic leaders have reportedly held closed-door meetings and complained about the criticism.
Recent opinion polling has reflected this dissatisfaction. In a SurveyUSA poll taken from Feb. 13 to 16, 41% of respondents said the party was “not standing up enough” to Trump.
Democrats have been fumbling in trying to find the right rhetorical response to Trump. In the House, Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has brought up concerns over consumer costs and the administration’s failure to address them while introducing inflationary tariffs, but the line of attack has not resonated.
By contrast, progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, has provoked the ire of the Trump administration by forcefully asserting immigrants’ rights in the face of attempted mass deportation raids. Jeffries reportedly plans to invite guests to Trump’s first congressional address that will rebut his actions and rhetoric.
Combined with the Senate admissions, the party may be signaling it is pivoting toward more forceful opposition—a position that the general public seems ready for.
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