Well, just when you thought the biggest political migraine of the week would be the Schumer Shutdown—brought to you by the party that somehow thinks defunding border security and funding health care for illegal immigrants is a winning combo—along comes the real kicker: a few Senate Republicans torpedoing their own team. Again.
This time, the friendly fire hit two key Trump nominees: one for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the other for the Under Secretary of the Navy. And guess who led the sabotage squad? None other than Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine.
The same two names that always seem to pop up when the GOP needs a solid vote and instead gets… a press release about bipartisanship.
Let’s start with E.J. Antoni—a conservative economist who was handpicked by President Trump to head up the BLS. You’d think, given the current mess of inflation, stagnant wages, and data that seems to shift with the political winds, that maybe—just maybe—Republicans would be hungry to put someone competent in charge of the numbers.
But no. Antoni’s nomination was quietly withdrawn, not because he was unqualified—Trump called him “brilliant”—but because Collins and Murkowski refused to even meet with him. Not vote against. Not challenge his ideas. Just flat-out refused to take a meeting.
And it gets better.
Antoni, according to the New York Times, may have been linked to an anonymous burner Twitter account that said some spicy things about Trump critics. Is that the disqualifier now? Because if anonymous accounts were grounds for rejection, half of D.C. would be packing up their offices.
Meanwhile, Hung Cao—a decorated Navy veteran and rising star in Republican circles—was nominated to serve as Under Secretary of the Navy. A no-brainer, right? You’d think anyone with a shred of patriotism would get behind a nominee with his background.
🚨 JUST IN: Senator LISA MURKOWSKI (R-AK) votes NO on advancing Trump nominee Hung Cao as Under Secretary of the US Navy – the sole Republican.
Why does she do this? pic.twitter.com/4NEy1xAGKS
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 1, 2025
But Murkowski voted against him.
Let that sink in.
We have a wide-open border, Navy recruitment hitting record lows, threats from China stacking up like unpaid D.C. bar tabs—and a strong, qualified pick is kneecapped by a Republican. Not a Democrat. A Republican.
To be fair, Collins did vote to confirm Cao. Congratulations, I guess? One out of two isn’t exactly a standing ovation moment.
BREAKING: Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski just voted against advancing President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of the US Navy, Hung Cao.
This was his campaign video when he ran for the senate.
There was absolutely no reason to vote against this hero.
— Ian Jaeger (@IanJaeger29) October 1, 2025
Of course, Murkowski’s move shouldn’t be shocking. She’s been signaling a potential party switch since late September. But let’s be honest—did she really need to say it out loud? Her voting record has been doing all the talking.
And don’t worry, the blame doesn’t end there. Thom Tillis and Mitch McConnell also deserve honorable mention in the “Let’s Undercut Our Own Agenda” club. Tillis, always eager to appease the donor class, and McConnell, whose leadership lately feels like watching a screensaver from 2003, didn’t exactly rush to rally the troops either.
Back to Antoni—his response was the kind of thing that would make any serious voter nod in agreement. He spoke about fixing the broken status quo, delivering real economic data, and restoring faith in government numbers. Basic stuff, really. Things you’d expect Republicans to support.
But apparently not all Republicans.
.@DailyCaller’s @ReaganReese_: “CNN reported that Collins and Murkowski declined to be with EJ Antoni, raising concerns that his nomination was in trouble. I’m wondering what message Collins, Murkowski are sending to the White House by not meeting with the President’s nominees?”… pic.twitter.com/xNvby3iye4
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 1, 2025
Antoni’s nomination died not because of Democrat opposition, but because some members of the GOP decided that playing nice with the media matters more than delivering results for the American people.
That’s the real problem. We don’t lose these battles because of left-wing resistance. We lose them because certain Republicans have a fear of commitment—especially when it comes to standing up for conservative values.
So yes, the Schumer Shutdown is a mess.
But the slow, steady sabotage from within? That’s the real story here.
And it’s getting harder to ignore.
