ANKARA

A prominent Democratic senator on Tuesday accused his fellow Democrats of complicity in President Donald Trump’s agenda, which his party largely opposes.

"We are standing at a moment where our president is eviscerating the Constitution of the United States of America, and we're (some of us) willing to go along with that today," said New Jersey’s Democratic Senator Cory Booker, objecting to a motion from Democrat Senator Catherine Cortez Masto from Nevada related to law enforcement, according to CBS News.

"No, no. Not on my watch. I stand against this. It is a violation of our Constitution for the president of the United States to ignore the will of Congress and decide which states are eligible for grants and which are not," he added.

Booker said on the Senate floor that the Justice Department is using public safety grants as a political tool to penalize state and local governments that don’t support Trump’s plans for his second term, which most political observers have called more sweeping than his first.

He said the department is withholding funding from law enforcement agencies nationwide, even though Congress approved the money with bipartisan support.

"It is disgraceful, it is unfair, it is unjust and it is dangerously reckless toward the officers whose well-being they are jeopardizing," he said. "Federal funds should not be used for partisan political gain."

Booker proposed an amendment to the package aimed at preventing political bias and making sure law enforcement agencies receive resources fairly, no matter which state they are in.

Responding to Booker, Cortez Masto said that the bills had already passed the Senate Judiciary Committee with bipartisan backing, including support from Booker himself. She criticized him for not introducing his amendment while the bills were under committee review and argued that his proposed change isn’t relevant to her legislation.

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, also a Democrat, said Booker missed the committee meeting where the bills were reviewed and amended, although he is a member of the Judiciary Committee.

"I can't help it if someone couldn't change their schedule to be there," she said.

“One of the things I don't understand here is that we have committees for a reason, and we have hearings for a reason. And you can't do one thing on Police Week and not show up and not object and let these bills go through, and then say another a few weeks later on the floor," Klobuchar added.