Show us first: Inside the GOP's striking new pushback against Trump

President Donald Trump at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland on February 22, 2025 (Official White House Photo by Molly Rile/Flickr)

President Donald Trump may not have an easy time selling his proposed tax cuts to House members in his own party.

“In theory, House Republicans are enthusiastic about another round of tax cuts in a potential second reconciliation package,” Axios reported on Tuesday. “In practice, many of them want to see the specifics of Trump's tax-cut proposals before fully endorsing them.”

Axios added, “And looming over any discussion of tax cuts is Trump's commitment to tariffs,” noting that congressional Republicans prefer tax cuts to tariff hikes.

"We always want to do things on tax cuts. We're Republicans," House Speaker Mike Johnson told Axios. "We've done a lot already, but if there's more to do, we'll find the path to get it done."

The problem with their willingness to support Trump’s possible tax cuts, however, is that they are coupled with his unpopular tariffs, which were recently overturned by the Supreme Court. As a result, the overall economic environment has become much less stable, and House Republicans are still grappling with the consequences.

"The president, you know, of course, was frustrated about the court's decision, but we're sorting out the fallout from that — what it means for us," Johnson told Axios.

House Republicans have already started bucking Trump on key issues. Earlier this month six Republican House members voted with their Democratic counterparts to repeal Trump’s tariffs against Canada. This includes Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Jeff Hurd of Missouri, Kevin Kiley of California, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Dan Newhouse of Washington.

“I've heard clearly from small and large manufacturers as well as agricultural producers that these tariffs are hurting them,” Hurd told CNN’s Manu Raju when explaining his vote at the time.

In the other chamber of Congress, one of the Republican Party’s most powerful voices has similarly spoken out against Trump.

“Congress is not an inconvenience to avoid,” Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the former Senate Majority Leader, said in response to the Supreme Court overturning Trump’s tariffs. His colleague from the same state, Sen. Rand Paul, applauded the Supreme Court’s decision, as did Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Meanwhile Mona Charen, a conservative commentator from The Bulwark, warned that Trump’s tariffs could cost the Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections.

Voters are rarely able to connect policy to outcomes, but they have done so in the case of tariffs,” Charen explained. “Back in 2024, Americans were about equally divided on the question of trade, with some favoring higher tariffs and roughly similar numbers opting for lower tariffs. Experience has changed their views.”

Conservative Nick Catoggio in The Dispatch perhaps summed up the Never Trump faction’s criticism of the MAGA movement.

“The only thing more pathetic than licking the president’s boots is licking them while swearing that you’ve almost — almost, but not quite — gotten sick of the taste,” Catoggio wrote.

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