Trump braces for GOP revolt as House Republicans break with him on signature policy
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U.S. Rep. Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and other Republican leadership on February 3, 2026. REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon
With Democrats having enjoyed a series of double-digit victories in late 2025 and early 2026 elections and President Donald Trump continuing to suffer from weak approval ratings in countless polls, Republicans are growing increasingly worried about November's midterms. GOP lawmakers have been reluctant to openly criticize Trump, but in an article published on Tuesday, February 10, the Daily Beast's Janna Brancolini cites an example of "moderate" House Republicans appearing "ready to finally break with" Trump "over his signature economic policy" — tariffs — as the 2026 midterms draw closer.
"In a bid to protect Trump," Brancolini explains, "House Speaker Mike Johnson has repeatedly introduced procedural rules banning members from bringing up resolutions challenging the president's crushing tariffs on products from dozens of U.S. trading partners. On Tuesday, Johnson planned to ask the House to extend the ban through August. But this time, key Republicans signaled they would likely vote against the measure, Puck reported."
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Nebraska) told Puck, "American consumers pay the tariffs, and thus, it is a big tax. I support giving these authorities back to Congress."
Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-California) also indicated to Puck that he would oppose the ban.
"With full attendance," Brancolini reports, "two Republican defectors would be enough to sink Johnson's proposed extension, opening the door to a flood of Democratic resolutions challenging the increasingly unpopular tariffs. The vote is likely to be close, as some Republicans are still holding out hope the Supreme Court will strike down the tariffs, easing voters' concerns while sparing them a confrontation with the president, according to Puck."
Trump, Brancolini notes, "has repeatedly claimed the bulk of the costs" of tariffs "fall on foreign producers and middlemen when, in fact, Americans "'pay one way or the other — via higher prices or less choice,' the opinion editors of the Rupert Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal wrote last week."
"If Johnson's procedural vote fails," the Daily Beast reporter observes, "Democrats are likely to force votes as early as this week on resolutions to overturn Trump's tariffs on products from Mexico and Canada, followed by resolutions aimed at tariffs on Brazilian products and products from other global trade partners. The Canada vote in particular would be a difficult one for Republicans and would require the White House's intervention, Johnson told Puck."