‘Trumpism is done’: Rep. Greg Stanton says Arizona voters demanded a check on president
"We still need to earn the trust of the American people," the Democrat who won reelection in Arizona's 4th Congressional District said. "We need to govern very responsibly."
Watch: 'Trumpism is done': What the new Democratic majority means for Congress | 10 mins
U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton believes Arizona voters want Democrats to challenge President Donald Trump, address rising costs and restore congressional oversight of the White House.
“Trumpism is done,” Stanton told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News on Wednesday.
The Democratic incumbent won reelection in Arizona’s 4th Congressional District on Tuesday, defeating Republican challenger Zuhdi Jasser.
Stanton argued that Republicans feared Trump, allowing the president to exercise powers that belong to Congress.
“They didn’t do their job in terms of providing checks and balances on the president, any oversight, using subpoenas,” Stanton said.
Despite the blue wave that swept across Arizona and much of the U.S., delivering both chambers of Congress to Democrats, Stanton cautioned that his party still has to prove itself to voters.
“We still need to earn the trust of the American people,” he said. “We need to govern very responsibly.”
Greg Stanton wants to lower prices and investigate President Trump
Stanton said Democrats should prioritize legislation aimed at lowering costs while also pursuing investigations into the Trump administration.
“The first thing we gotta do is pass laws that act upon exactly what we campaigned on,” he said. “That’s lowering prices for the American people.”
One of his priorities is eliminating Trump’s tariffs.
“These tariffs, they’re totally illegal. That’s a tax, and taxes belong in in terms of who gets to vote on them. It’s the United States Congress,” Stanton said. “We need to eliminate these tariffs which are increasing prices on everyday goods, especially at the grocery store.”
‘This war in Iran has to come to an end,’ Greg Stanton says
Another one of his priorities is to end the conflict in Iran as quickly as possible.
“One of the first things we’re going to do is make it clear through what’s called the War Powers Resolution that we do not support this this war,” Stanton said. “We’re going to have the power of the purse strings through the appropriations process in the majority.”
This means voters will see budgets that better reflect American values, he added.
“Because what happened is that the president kept taking these actions that increase prices, making life unaffordable. The American people knew exactly who was doing that. No resistance from the congressional Republicans. That is our first duty,” Stanton said.
But Stanton said those efforts would not mean abandoning investigations into the administration.
“In terms of investigations, of course we can walk and chew gum,” he said.
Stanton argued that Congress has a responsibility to investigate what he described as illegal actions and corruption within the administration, alongside efforts to address affordability.
“It’s not an either-or proposition,” he said. “We can and must do both.”
Greg Stanton leaves room for bipartisan agreements
Despite his sharp criticism of Trump, Stanton said Democrats will still need to negotiate with the president.
“I don’t like Donald Trump, but we still have to work with Donald Trump,” he said. “He’s the president.”
Stanton predicted tough negotiations and “knockdown drag-out fights,” but said he would support agreements that both parties could sincerely reach. He also hopes that the upcoming lame-duck session provides opportunities for bipartisan legislation.
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Comments
7 Comments
What Dems are failing to acknowledge is that their a$$ kicking of of the GOP is more an inditement against MAGA and DJT than it is support for their policies and plan for the American people. They certainly have a lot of prove with the opportunity they've been given.
Agree. This election was primarily a repudiation of The Idiot and MAGA, whereas 2024 was anger directed at Biden over inflation. MAGA made the mistake of believing the country wanted their policies and would tolerate all the corruption and incompetence that came with them. Hopefully the Dems realize they were simply the lesser evil and use this opportunity to show us why they are better at meeting the needs of voters.
I hear John Sununu (R-NH) attacked The Idiot, blaming him for his lost senate seat. But Sununu, like all senate and congressional republicans, needs to take personal responsibility for the MAGA massacre. Sure, this is a repudiation of The Idiot's failed policies and blatant corruption. But republicans in congress were afraid of being primaried if they were less than 100% loyal so they enabled all of it. They failed in their oversight responsibilities and their constituents fired them.