The GOP senator who voted to defend DOGE is not afraid of “reprisals”

Earlier in March, Senator Lisa Murkowski in Alaska was the only republican in the upper chamber who voted for an amendment to defend the government’s ministry of efficiency.

Despite the political pressure that GOP legislators faced to support President Donald Trump’s agenda Murkowski in a recent interview told Washington Post that she was not afraid of everything.

“We must stop being so anxious and watching over our shoulders and saying:” Oh, my God, will I offend someone and there will be political reprisals? “,” Said Murkowski.

“These are the United States of America,” she said. “Political remuneration should not be something that even exists.”

Murkowski – who voted to dismiss Trump after January 6, 2021, attacking the American Capitol and won a re -election to a fourth term on a Challenger of the GOP supported by Trump – was able to prosper politically as a moderate republican in the party dominated by the president.

In the interview, Murkowski said that she had supported Trump’s efforts to reduce public spending, but was opposed to the more aggressive tactics employed by Doge, which rocked Washington and caused uncertainty for millions of federal workers in the United States.

Murkowski said his vote to undo DOGE was the result of concerns that his voters had raised federal job cuts. The amendment, sponsored by the Democratic senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, failed during a vote of 48-52, because it was not far from the 60 votes necessary to move forward.

However, Murkowski said his Doge critics did not prevent him from having a working relationship with the Trump administration.

“Everyone has their own approach,” she told the newspaper.

At a press conference in Alaska earlier in March, Murkowski said that she would not release her Doge critics, even if Elon Musk had threatened to finance the main challenges against the Republicans who are not fully on board with Trump’s agenda.

Murkowski is again only for re -election until 2028.

“It may be that Elon Musk decided that he would take the next billion dollars he draws from Starlink and put him directly against Lisa Murkowski,” she said at the time. “And what can you know? It can happen.”

“But I don’t give up a minute, an opportunity, to try to defend the Alaska,” she added.