RINOs In Republican Clothing: The Senate Saboteurs Blocking Trump’s Agenda

In the heart of a Republican-controlled Senate, a small cabal of self-proclaimed “moderates” continues to wage war from within against President Donald Trump’s key priorities. These senators—wearing the GOP label while acting as reliable allies to Democratic obstruction—have repeatedly torpedoed election integrity reforms and even a major White House upgrade funded largely by private donors. Their actions scream establishment protectionism, institutional inertia, and outright contempt for the America First mandate voters delivered.

The SAVE Act Betrayal: Handing Democrats Another Election Loophole

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act (and its iterations like the SAVE America Act) is straightforward: require proof of U.S. citizenship to register for federal elections and mandate photo ID to vote. It passed the House with overwhelming Republican support and enjoys broad public backing. Yet in the Senate, it has been filibustered and stripped from must-pass packages.

The consistent Republican defectors?

• Susan Collins (R-ME)
• Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
• Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
• Thom Tillis (R-NC)

These four joined Democrats in key procedural votes and amendments, including a 48-50 failure to attach SAVE provisions to a budget reconciliation package. Murkowski even stood alone among Republicans against beginning debate in one instance. Their excuses—burdens on rural voters, “process” concerns, or feasibility—ring hollow when millions of Americans already navigate similar requirements for basic tasks like boarding a plane or buying a gun. By blocking this, they preserve vulnerabilities that critics argue invite non-citizen voting, directly undermining the will of the voters who put Republicans in power.

The Ballroom Blockade: No To Private Funds, No To Security, No To Trump

The obstruction didn’t stop at elections. When it came to President Trump’s proposed East Wing ballroom—a 90,000-square-foot addition for state events and security, touted as primarily privately funded by donors including major corporations—the same crew (plus a couple extras) stepped up again to impede progress.

During a recent vote-a-rama on an immigration enforcement/ICE funding bill, six Republican senators voted with Democrats for Sen. Jeff Merkley’s amendment. This would have prohibited any work on the project—private donations included—without explicit congressional approval.

The six:

• Susan Collins (R-ME)
• Jon Husted (R-OH)
• Jerry Moran (R-KS)
• Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
• Dan Sullivan (R-AK)
• Thom Tillis (R-NC)

The amendment failed, but the damage was done. Separately, Senate Republicans—including resistance from these institutionalists—stripped approximately $1 billion in federal Secret Service/security upgrades tied to the project from the final bill amid parliamentarian rulings and internal revolt.

Think about that sequence:

• First, vote to tie up even private funding in congressional red tape.
• Then, balk at security funding.

The net effect?

Delay, lawsuits, historic preservation fights, and political headaches for a project Trump framed as a practical upgrade, not a taxpayer burden. Optics matter, sure—but this smells more like personal and institutional resentment toward Trump’s bold style than prudent stewardship.

The Pattern: Old Guard Vs. The Base

This isn’t isolated principled dissent.

Collins, Murkowski, Tillis, McConnell, and their allies form a familiar “old boys club” of Senate moderates who’ve made careers out of crossing the aisle at pivotal moments. McConnell, the former leader, has long prioritized Senate “norms” over aggressive conservatism. Collins and Murkowski hail from blue-leaning states and often cite constituent access issues.

But when their votes consistently align with Democrats to kneecap Trump’s signature efforts—election security and White House functionality—it’s hard not to see it as sabotage dressed up as moderation.

Trump allies and grassroots conservatives are rightly furious. These votes fuel perceptions of a uniparty: Republicans in name only (RINOs) who talk tough on the campaign trail but protect the status quo once in Washington.

The ballroom saga is particularly galling—impeding private philanthropy while security needs for the executive mansion are real.

Time For Accountability

Voters in Maine, Alaska, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, and Kansas deserve better.

Primaries exist for a reason.

The base has already shown it can replace entrenched figures resistant to the post-2024 realignment. Continued obstruction risks dooming Republican momentum heading into future cycles, handing Democrats ammunition on “hypocrisy” and “extremes.”

These senators aren’t traitors in the legal sense, but their antics represent a deep betrayal of the mandate to secure elections and deliver on promises.

The American people sent a clear message: no more business as usual.

The Senate’s internal roadblocks on the SAVE Act and the ballroom project prove some didn’t get—or refuse to accept—the memo.

The clock is ticking.

America First demands results, not excuses from the establishment wing.

Time to primary the blockers and clear the path.