Tim Miller Slams GOP Over Trump’s Brutal Cuts: “What Did You Think You Signed Up For?”

News
Amanda Austin
February 26, 2025
9 minutes read

Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Former Republican strategist Tim Miller delivered a scathing response to GOP lawmakers who are now urging President Donald Trump’s administration to be more deliberate and compassionate about massive federal budget cuts.

Miller’s blunt question: “What did you guys think you were signing up for?” Trump’s aggressive government downsizing has included gutting the federal workforce and placing a freeze on grants and contracts, actions that have disrupted communities across the country. The backlash has been so severe that even Republican lawmakers—many of whom previously supported Trump’s policies—are now pleading for reconsideration.

During a segment on MSNBC, host Nicolle Wallace noted that the cuts were anything but surgical. “That was just a sledgehammer,” Wallace said. “I mean, I think that what Republicans have done to themselves is both deserved and incredibly revealing.” Miller agreed, highlighting the Republican senators now caught in the fallout.

“You’re just listening to that, and you’re hearing these Republicans… [Sen. Lisa] Murkowski (AK) has acted pretty well in some of her votes. It’s worth saying, but some of the others who voted for everything, [Sen. John] Thune (S.D.) and [Sen. John] Curtis (UT) — like almost begging the administration to show even a little bit of humanity or compassion or respect, individual dignity of these workers,” he said.

Katie Miller — (Doug Mills/The New York Times)

“Trump Only Cares About Himself” For years, Miller argued, Trump has made it abundantly clear that “he does not care at all about the humanity of anyone besides Donald Trump.” Adding to the concern is Elon Musk, who has played a key role in Trump’s government restructuring efforts. Miller accused Musk of having zero regard for federal workers affected by the cuts.

“Certainly [Musk] has not shown one shred of evidence that he cares about the humanity and dignity of the little people that, you know, he doesn’t know or care to learn about what it is that they did in the government,” Miller said.

Miller had a stark message for Republican lawmakers seeking to soften Trump’s drastic cuts: pleading won’t change anything. “This is the program that y’all signed up for. And if you want to show compassion and humanity and dignity, then you’re going to have to take power back from them because these guys aren’t going to do it.”

“Asking Donald Trump and Elon Musk to show humanity is a fool’s errand.” With growing discontent among Republican lawmakers and public outcry over the sweeping budget cuts, the coming months may reveal whether GOP leaders will take action—or simply accept the consequences of their own policies.