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Washington, Mar 26 (AP) Angry over the crush of court rulings against the Donald Trump administration, Republicans in Congress are trying to slap back at the federal judiciary with proposals to limit the reach of its rulings, cut funding and even impeach judges, tightening the GOP's grip on government.
House GOP leaders say all options are under consideration as they rush to rein in judges who are halting President Donald Trump's actions at a rapid pace.
In many cases, the courts are questioning whether the firings of federal workers, freezing of federal funds and shuttering of long-running federal offices are unlawful actions by the executive branch and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
In perhaps the most high-profile case, Judge James E Boasberg ordered planeloads of deported immigrants to be turned around, raising the ire of Trump, who called for his impeachment, and billionaire Musk, who is funnelling campaign cash to House Republicans backing impeachment efforts.
The president calls the judges "lunatics".
House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Tuesday that "desperate times call for desperate measures" without mentioning impeachment.
"We do have authority over the federal courts, as you know. We can eliminate an entire district court. We have power of funding over the courts, and all these other things," the Republican speaker said.
Not yet 100 days into the new administration, the unusual attack on the federal judiciary is the start of what is expected to be a protracted battle between the co-equal branches of government, unmatched in modern memory.
As the White House tests the judiciary, trying to bend it to Trump's demands, the Congress, controlled by the president's own Republican Party, appears ready to back him up.
It all comes as the Supreme Court last summer granted the executive broad immunity from prosecution, setting the stage for the challenges to come.
But Chief Justice John Roberts warned more recently that "impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision".
Democrats are warning against what they view as an assault on the judicial branch, which so far has been the only check against Trump and DOGE's far-reaching federal actions. Threats against the federal judges, already on the rise, remain of high concern.
“It is outrageous to even think of defunding the courts," said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, reacting to the House speaker's claims.
"The courts are the bulwark against Trump, and the Republicans can't stand it."
House GOP leaders met on Tuesday with Rep Jim Jordan, the chairman of the House judiciary committee, which will hold a hearing on the issue next week.
The House is also expected to vote on a bill from Rep Darrell Issa that would limit the geographic reach of certain federal rulings, to prevent temporary restraining orders from being enacted nationwide.
Jordan said he also spoke with Trump on Saturday during college wrestling championships in Philadelphia.
“All options are on the table. We want to get the facts. Gather the facts," Jordan said late on Monday.
Since Trump took office, and with Musk on a mission to dramatically reduce the size and scope of the federal government, the administration's tech-inspired move-fast-and-break-things ethos has run up against the constraints of federal law.
An onslaught of court cases has been filed by employee groups, democracy organisations and advocacy groups trying to keep federal programmes -- from the US Agency for International Development to the Education Department -- from being dismantled.
Judges have issued various types of restraints on Trump's actions.
Trump's first administration alone accounted for 66 per cent of all the injunctions issued on presidential actions between 2001 and 2023, according to data from a Harvard Law Review piece circulated by Republicans. (AP)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
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