Some congressional Republicans called on President Donald Trump to respect judges' rulings blocking his executive actions, while others say the courts should back off and allow him to do his job.
"We have a judicial system," Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, told reporters at the Capitol Tuesday, The Hill reported Wednesday. "If you don't like the ruling, you can appeal the ruling and you can follow that through. But we are a nation of laws and it is not necessarily for you or I to be the final arbiter here. This is why we entrust the judiciary with this responsibility."
Federal judges have blocked Trump's actions on freezing spending on federal grants and loans, banning birthright citizenship, and dismantling the U.S. Agency on International Development (USAID). But some Republicans say they are concerned about a constitutional crisis if he disobeys the orders and moves ahead.
Trump said Tuesday he "always" abides by the courts, and that he will file appeals on rulings with which he does not agree.
Some Republicans in Congress and Vice President J.D. Vance calling on Trump to push forward despite the judges' rulings.
Vance said in a social media post that judges do not have the authority to control the "legitimate power" of the executive branch.
“If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal," Vance posted on X. "If a judge tried to command the attorney general … how to use her discretion as prosecutor, that's also illegal. Judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power."
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Tuesday that the tensions between the White House and federal judges are a "give-and-take," but said Trump must respect the judiciary's rulings.
"The courts have a way of mediating — or refereeing if you will — some of the disputes between the Article I and Article II branches of government," Thune said. "That's what you're seeing here. Do I believe that the courts have a very valid role and need to be listened to and heard in that process? The answer is yes."
Federal judges handed down five rulings Monday blocking actions from the administration.
Some Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, say judges should not be interfering with Trump or Musk.
"The courts should take a step back and allow these processes to play out," Johnson said Tuesday.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, called on Trump to ignore federal court orders and take a page from former President Andrew Jackson's book, reported Mediaite.
Jackson in 1832 refused to enforce a decision in the courts that had ruled against the state of Georgia's actions dispossessing the Cherokee Nation of their lands, allowing the state to continue with its forced removal of the people along the Trail of Tears.
"Keep in mind the president beat lawfare going after him when he was a candidate," Roy said in a Fox News interview. "The president is going to beat this, in my opinion."
Roy also called on Congress to make Trump's executive orders permanent.
"We need to pass laws, to back up laws, to pass his agenda," Roy said. "We need to move quickly to do that, and we can stand behind the president. The president is right to say follow the law, but the Constitution matters. too. He can do his job."