U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) speaks with reporters as the House votes to end the partial government shutdown on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., Feb. 3, 2026.
Kylie Cooper | Reuters
House Republican leaders are in danger of an embarrassing loss on a procedural vote Tuesday afternoon 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 President Donald 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.
Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., told CNBC on Tuesday he objects to “this idea that everyone needs to stick together to bring a particular bill on the floor” because it makes the House “less of a democratic body.”
Johnson on Tuesday said he expects the measure to pass and said the rationale for the vote this week is “to allow the Supreme Court to rule on the pending case.” The Supreme Court is considering a legal challenge to Trump’s tariffs with a ruling pending following oral arguments last November.
“That process has been playing out. I think it’s logical to allow that to continue. The president’s trade policies have been a great benefit to the country,” Johnson said at a press conference Tuesday morning.
The House Rules Committee on Monday approved language that would block any House votes disapproving of Trump’s tariffs through July 31. House Democrats had already planned to force a vote on tariffs this week.
“It is no secret that in private many Republican members of Congress have concerns with President Trump’s tariff policies. Now some are even voicing their concerns in public,” the House Rules Committee’s top Democrat Rep. Jim McGovern, of Massachusetts, said at Monday’s hearing.
“They were just about to have the chance to vote this week to end them. So what’s this all about? The White House is scared. They know that the Republican House finally, after months of blocking itself from doing what the Senate has already done, is poised to vote to end these unpopular, unwise, downright dumb tariffs,” McGovern continued.
The Senate has on multiple occasions voted to strike down tariffs issued by Trump, while the House has blocked votes on tariff-related resolutions. The latest prohibition on tariff votes expired at the end of January.
For Tuesday’s vote, some other Republicans expressed their discomfort with tariffs, but did not commit to opposing the measure up for a vote.
“The Supreme Court is going to be deciding this issue by June. So there is an argument to be made to maintain the status quo until then,” Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., told CNBC on Tuesday. “I believe in free trade. And tariffs are a big mistake. But given that the Supreme Court’s about to weigh in, maybe we ought to just keep our powder dry and see what they say.”
CNBC’s Karen Sloan contributed to this report.
