It was a rough week for President Donald J. Trump. Congressional Republicans have issued setbacks to some of his pet projects. From his grand ballroom to his slush fund to the war with Iraq, the president has faced consistent resistance from a group of Republican Senators and Congress Members. These elected officials are reacting to the rising prices of gas, groceries, housing, and other staples, as well as an unpopular war with the Iranian state.

Top that off with Blue State Republicans worried about the upcoming midterms, and Trump’s election opposition to some long-time congressional colleagues, and you have a caucus in disorder. Add in the president’s declining acuity and penchant for falling asleep in official meetings, and you have a conservative and MAGA constituency reeling in panic.

Republicans Stand Up to Trump on Foreign Policy

On Wednesday, the Republican-led House of Representatives rebuked Trump on two foreign policy hot points. Three months after the start of hostilities with Iran, and after numerous attempts to initiate a vote, the House passed a war powers resolution on Wednesday in a 215-208 vote. There were four Republican defectors who supported a united Democratic caucus, including Rep, Thomas Massie from Kentucky, who lost to a Trump-endorsed candidate in his re-election bid last week.

Shortly after that, in defiance of the White House, the House advanced a discharge petition to provide additional aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia by a vote of 218-204. Six GOP representatives signed on to the petition, including outgoing Congressman Don Bacon of Nebraska and midterm-vulnerable representatives Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mike Lawler of New York.

Congress Kills Two Trump Pet Projects

One day earlier, due to congressional opposition, especially from high-ranking Republicans, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced that the White House was canceling plans to create a $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund. The president received tremendous pushback on this idea when it was exposed that the January 6 rioters whom Trump had pardoned when he returned to office would be eligible to tap into this slush fund.

Sen. Mitch McConnell best expressed opposition to the fund when he said. “So, the nation’s top law enforcement official is asking for a slush fund to pay people who assault cops? Utterly stupid, morally wrong — take your pick.”

Then on Thursday, four Republican Senators joined their Democratic colleagues to once again shoot down the president’s coveted “Save America Act” by a vote of 48-50. This piece of legislation, which Trump wanted included in the reconciliation bill, would have significantly affected which identification cards citizens could use when registering to vote. This draconian measure would, by some estimates, disenfranchise up to 21 million eligible voters.

The president had originally threatened to sign no other bill into law until Congress sent this piece of legislation to his desk. Joining Democrats to defeat this measure for a second time were Republican Sens. Susan Collins (Maryland), Mitch McConnell (Kentucky), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), and Thom Tillis (North Carolina).

And Finally, the Ballroom

And although their effort failed, seven Republican Senators joined Democrats in a motion to prohibit the use of federal dollars or private donations for the White House ballroom without congressional authorization. This vote was taken as part of the debate over the pending reconciliation package that would fund immigration enforcement agencies for the next three years.

In falling short of the 60 votes needed for passage, Democrats were joined on Friday by Collins, Jon Husted of Ohio, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Dan Sullivan and Murkowski of Alaska, Tillis, and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana (another Republican targeted in his re-election bid by Trump). In addition, Collins, Husted, and Sullivan are facing difficult re-election contests this fall. But when the final bell tolled, the bill passed the Senate by a 52-47 vote, but the funding for the ballroom had been stripped from the package.