A backbencher in Ohio’s Republican congressional delegation voiced criticism of President Donald Trump and his cost-cutting measures during a meeting with local business leaders, prompting accusations of betrayal from conservatives online.
Rep. Troy Balderson (R-OH), who has been serving in the U.S. House since his first election in 2018, called President Trump’s series of executive orders “getting out of control” during a Westerville Area Chamber business luncheon. He framed his comments around constitutional authority, asserting that only Congress holds the power over federal spending. “Congress has to decide whether or not the Department of Education goes away,” Balderson asserted, according to the Columbus Dispatch. “Not the president, not Elon Musk. Congress decides.”
Balderson did say that while he respects and shares the desire of Trump and Elon Musk to audit federal agencies and eliminate waste, he doesn’t believe every executive order has been lawful. “Congress has to do their work,” he told the business group. The slip-up is surprising for the Zanesville native, a seasoned political figure who began his career in the state legislature before winning his current seat in a special election. After a failed attempt at running a car company, he secured a seat in the state House of Representatives in 2008 and moved up to the state Senate two years later.
Now, conservatives are questioning his judgment, warning that he’s opened himself up to a primary challenger in 2026. “I guess he is desperate to retire,” one X user wrote in response to the news. Kate Austin, a recognizable MAHA figure on the platform, encouraged others to find a Republican opponent to take on Balderson.
He is not the only member of the Republican caucus facing concerns from constituents about Trump’s deep cuts to the federal bureaucracy. A Thursday night town hall in Roswell, Georgia, saw a packed room of voters expressing their anger toward Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) for backing Trump’s agenda. After being pressed, McCormick replied Trump is “trying to do more with less, that’s reasonable – what’s not reasonable is taking this chainsaw approach.”
“My understanding is when you say you have this many employees that you have to cut, that organization decides who to cut,” McCormick said, triggering groans from those in attendance, according to the Atlanta Constitution-Journal. Unlike Balderson, McCormick represents a center-right suburban district that he lost in 2020 but reclaimed in 2022, despite Trump carrying the district by 22 points last year. His struggles to address criticisms highlight how House Republicans are grappling with backlash over Trump’s agenda when they return to their constituents.
