Chris Salcedo told his viewers bluntly what a lot of conservatives are whispering in the halls of Congress: the U.S. Senate has been working, but Senate Republican leadership often looks more like it’s working for Democrats than for hard-working Americans. Salcedo’s charge is not idle talk — it’s a reflection of growing fury among grassroots conservatives who feel betrayed by a GOP establishment that keeps cutting deals with the left.
That frustration isn’t coming out of nowhere; Republican leaders in the Senate have repeatedly been involved in negotiations that handed leverage to Democrats on landmark issues like border policy and foreign aid. From public praise for bipartisan packages to quietly shepherding bills that leave conservative priorities on the floor, the pattern is clear: Republican leadership has too often prioritized deals over conservative wins. Conservatives who want secure borders and fiscal sanity see those maneuvers as capitulation, not leadership.
One of the clearest examples was the Lankford border package, a deal that many rank-and-file conservatives warned would codify open-border policies and saddle taxpayers with new obligations. Instead of standing firm, top Senate leaders empowered the effort and then tried to walk away when the backlash came, leaving honest conservatives holding the bag. That kind of political theatre — negotiate, get caught, disown — is exactly what has poisoned trust in the GOP conference.
Republican senators like Mike Lee and others publicly blasted the leadership for what they called betrayal, and even members of the party’s base in states like Kentucky are openly furious that establishment figures would cozy up to Democrats on issues like Ukraine aid and border control. The result has been a fractured message and a party that looks more concerned with maintaining a status quo than delivering for voters who put them there. If Republicans are going to win and govern, they must stop playing nice with the very people who want to dismantle what remains of our constitutional order.
The practical cost of this feckless leadership shows up in stopgap solutions and short-term continuing resolutions that kick the can down the road while folks back home suffer. Senate leadership’s willingness to entertain bipartisan band-aids rather than force real, conservative reforms has contributed to chaos in appropriations and real pain for Americans counting on leadership to prioritize funding for core services and our national security. Voters are tired of leadership that looks more interested in photo-ops with Democrats than in cutting waste and securing the border once and for all.
Chris Salcedo and other conservative voices are right to demand accountability — and not just token apologies or photo ops. If the GOP wants to reclaim its soul, it must stop empowering an establishment that treats conservative principles as optional and start installing leaders willing to fight for the base rather than pander to the opposition. The time for polite compromise has passed; it’s time for principled fight and electoral consequences for those who keep betraying the voters.
Patriots watching this circus should remember what’s at stake: our borders, our money, and our freedoms. The remedy is simple in theory and hard in practice — hold leaders accountable, elect conservatives who will actually stand and vote like conservatives, and never stop demanding results instead of handshakes. America didn’t win its independence by cutting deals with enemies; neither will our conservative movement restore this country by rewarding leaders who act as Democratic collaborators instead of Republican defenders.
