Mike Johnsons Razor-Thin Majority Cracks Over Trump Tariffs

According to the Daily Caller, the rule went down in a 214-217 vote, a stinging setback for House GOP leaders who had hoped to lock in Trumps trade measures against efforts by Democrats and a handful of Republican skeptics to dismantle them. Three Republicans Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Kevin Kiley of California and Don Bacon of Nebraska broke ranks and joined every Democrat in opposing the measure, while two GOP members were absent, including North Carolina Rep. Greg Murphy, who has been sidelined from voting this week following surgery for a benign skull tumor.

The failed rule would have barred any lawmaker from forcing a vote to terminate Trumps tariffs on Canada, Mexico and Brazil until early August, effectively insulating the policy through the heart of the election year as Congress is expected to recess in August and October for campaigning. With Republicans holding a narrow 218-214 majority, House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana could afford to lose only one GOP vote if all members were present, leaving leadership with virtually no margin for internal dissent.

House leaders had already delayed the vote for roughly seven hours on Tuesday, pushing it from early afternoon into the evening as they scrambled to whip support and contain the rebellion within their own conference. Their efforts ultimately fell short, underscoring the tension between a populist, tariff-friendly wing aligned with Trump and a smaller bloc of traditional free-trade conservatives who insist Congress must reassert its constitutional authority over trade policy.

Bacon, one of the Republicans who opposed the rule, framed his vote as a matter of constitutional duty rather than intra-party defiance. I have to answer to Article I, Bacon told reporters as he left the Capitol, invoking Congresss explicit power over tariffs and signaling discomfort with ceding that authority indefinitely to the executive branch.

Massie, a long-standing critic of tariffs who is facing a Trump-backed primary challenger, wasted no time in voting no and publicly blasting the leaderships maneuver. The law requires Congress to permit a vote on Presidential emergencies within 15 days of being declared, the Kentucky Republican wrote on X, adding, Today the Speaker is trying to pass a resolution that literally says a day is not a day, just to avoid voting on the emergencies that underpin the tariffs. Smoke & mirrors!

The internal dispute comes after House Republicans previously used procedural tactics to block rank-and-file members from bringing up resolutions to unwind Trumps tariffs, including a 216-214 vote in March 2025 that temporarily barred such legislation. That earlier restriction expired on Jan. 31, opening the door for Democrats to move against the emergency authorities that form the legal backbone of the tariff program.

Democratic New York Rep. Gregory Meeks has already vowed to seize that opening, pledging to force a vote Wednesday on a resolution revoking Trumps tariffs on Canada if GOP leaders fail to stop him. Should such a measure clear the House, it would likely find a receptive audience in the Senate, where a similar resolution previously passed with four Republican votes in October, though any bill reaching Trumps desk is widely expected to face an immediate veto.

In an effort to keep Republicans unified, House GOP leaders argued that members should oppose efforts to unwind the tariffs and instead wait for the judiciary to weigh in. The rationale for extending this a bit longer to July is to allow the Supreme Court to rule on the pending case, Speaker Johnson told reporters, adding, That process has been playing out. I think its logical to allow that to continue.

Johnson also defended Trumps broader trade strategy, insisting that the tariff regime has delivered tangible gains for the United States. He praised the Presidents trade agenda, arguing it has a great benefit to the country, even as a Marist poll released Feb. 5 reported that 56% of Americans view tariffs as harmful to the U.S. economy, highlighting a disconnect between populist economic nationalism and prevailing public sentiment.