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By Andrew Stanton
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In the earliest days of President Donald Trump's second term, a handful of Democratic senators are voting in line with him more often than not.
Why It Matters
Trump moved quickly to enact a sweeping conservative agenda after returning to the White House, acting on campaign promises to begin large-scale deportations of migrants, target diversity, equity and inclusion programs and declaring a "national energy emergency" to allow him to bypass environmental regulations.
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Many of these policies have drawn Democratic outrage. But several Democratic senators have shown a willingness to vote with the Republicans on immigration legislation, as well as in support of some of his Cabinet nominations, while still voicing opposition to other Trump priorities.
What To Know
Senate Democrats from competitive states—those that Trump won or narrowly lost to Vice President Kamala Harris in November—have thus far been most inclined to vote with the president less than two weeks after he took office.
Some of Trump's Cabinet nominees have garnered significant support from Democrats. None voted against the confirmation of Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy earned support from about half of Senate Democrats.
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The five Democratic Senators who have voted with Trump most often so far are Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania; Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire; Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, both of Arizona; and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan.
Trump narrowly won all of those states except New Hampshire, which backed Harris by less than 3 percentage points.
All five senators voted for the Laken Riley Act, which allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain migrants charged with theft, burglary, shoplifting or larceny offenses, regardless of their immigration status. The bill was signed into law by Trump on Wednesday.
Fetterman was the only Senate Democrat who voted in favor of a procedural vote to move forward with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's nomination, but he later joined all Democrats in opposing his confirmation.
Fetterman, Shaheen and Slotkin voted to confirm Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. Fetterman, Gallego and Kelly voted to confirm Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin.
Fetterman was also the only Democrat who voted to advance a bill to impose sanctions on International Criminal Court officials following the ICC's decision to bring war crime charges against Israeli officials amid the war with Hamas in Gaza.
Newsweek reached out to each of these senators' offices for comment via email.
Reached by Newsweek, a spokesperson for Slotkin cited a statement in which she explains her bipartisan voting record.
What People Are Saying
Elissa Slotkin said in the statement: "Every President has the right to choose their people for their Administration, and it's my Constitutional responsibility to advise and consent on those nominations. For me, that means assessing candidates' commitment to upholding the oath of office they will swear to the U.S. Constitution — not to any one person or political party."
Jeanne Shaheen said in a statement: "I voted in favor of the Laken Riley Act because it's critical we take action to keep dangerous people off the streets and crack down on criminal activity to prevent senseless tragedies. This bill is not a comprehensive effort, and let's be very clear: there is more work to do to fix our broken immigration system."
John Fetterman said on The View: "For me, engaging the president, when you're in this business, that's part of the job."
What Happens Next
These Senate Democrats will be closely watched during the upcoming confirmation battles for some of Trump's nominees that have drawn the most criticism, such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for secretary of health and human services and former Representative Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence.
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