House Republican leaders are in danger of an embarrassing loss on a procedural vote Tuesday because fellow GOP lawmakers are balking at voting to block challenges to President Donald Trump’s tariffs through the summer.
A potential GOP rebellion on the vote highlights divisions among House Republicans, a dynamic that could make it even harder for Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to advance his and Trump’s agenda through a narrowly divided Congress. Dissatisfied factions within the House GOP have revolted several times this Congress, forcing the release of files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and supporting a failed Democratic effort to extended Obamacare subsidies.
Johnson cannot afford to lose more than one Republican, assuming all members are present and Democrats are united against the measure being voted on that would set the rules for debating a bill to boost domestic production of critical minerals. At least two Republicans said they plan to vote against Johnson.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., a perennial thorn in the side of GOP leadership, has vowed to vote “no.” Others have similarly signaled their opposition, as frustration over Trump’s tariffs and leadership’s maneuvering percolates within the Republican ranks.
