Congress

Tariff votes hand Republicans an unwanted referendum on affordability

Published

7 months ago

February 12, 2026

A small GOP rebellion is unleashing a flood of House votes on President Donald Trump’s tariff policies in the coming weeks — handing Democrats a powerful tool to hammer Republicans on affordability issues ahead of the November midterms.

House leaders had shielded their most vulnerable Republicans from politically explosive votes on tariffs for more than a year, but now the fallout is reverberating on Capitol Hill and in tough battleground races around the country.

Six Republicans broke ranks and joined Democrats Wednesday to overturn Trump’s Canada tariffs — a vote that took place only after three of those GOP members bucked Speaker Mike Johnson and voted Tuesday to reject a provision that would have blocked it. The move is likely to force a Trump veto.

More votes are coming: Senior House Democrats plan to call up at least three more resolutions that will force many Republicans to choose between protecting their tariff-hit districts and pleasing their MAGA voter bases — not to mention their loyalties to a president who has, up until this week, not tolerated any House GOP dissent on the matter.

Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington, who leads the House Democratic campaign arm, said in an interview that her group would “continue to hold every single vulnerable Republican responsible for their broken promise to lower prices.”

“If Republicans think this is such a great idea, then they can vote to support the tariffs,” she added. “But … we’re going to make sure that they’re accountable for their votes.”

The tariff votes — brought to the House floor under special expedited procedures that Johnson and other GOP leaders cannot easily block — are already making some farm-state Republicans squirm. Trump’s tariff wars have weighed heavily on agricultural exports, and many committed free-traders have long since had to make their peace with Trump’s policies.

“I’ve been critical of the tariffs,” said Rep. Derek Schmidt (R-Kan.). “But having said that, we’ve come this far.” He echoed a leadership argument — that Trump’s sweeping tariff powers could be confirmed or curtailed in a Supreme Court ruling expected sometime before July.

Rep. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.), another tariff skeptic who chairs the Ways and Means subcommittee on trade, painted the Democratic effort to reject the tariffs as a political stunt. Like Schmidt, he voted to support the Canada tariffs Wednesday.

“I welcome a sincere discussion on trade policy and the role in the legislative branch — any time, any place,” Smith said. “I’m not sensing that this is one that is intended to be a good discussion.”

But those in more vulnerable districts and seeking other offices weren’t so eager to chat about the tough vote. Many have been uneasy with the president’s slash-and-burn trade policy and skeptical of the White House’s pleas for patience as Trump pursues trade deals. A recent Blue Light News poll showed that more Americans oppose Trump’s tariffs than support them.

One of the six Republicans opposing the Canada tariffs Wednesday, Rep. Jeff Hurd of Colorado, cited congressional powers, not political concerns, in explaining his vote, while also noting the steep impact tariffs have had on farmers and manufacturers in his district.

“My job is to defend my district and my Constitution at the same time,” he said in an interview. “This is not a partisan issue for me.”

Rep. David Schweikert, a longtime free-trade advocate who is running for governor of Arizona in a heavily contested GOP primary, said he was on the fence ahead of the Canada vote but ultimately came to a different conclusion.

“Part of my angst is, it’s a taxing authority. Taxing authority belongs with Congress. So in some ways, it’s a classic, you know, do I defend the Constitution?”

Democrats are now preparing to move ahead with multiple additional resolutions overturning Trump’s tariffs in Mexico and Brazil, as well as the president’s global “Liberation Day” tariffs. They see them as up-or-down referendums on a key policy driving up costs for Americans as recent special and off-year elections show voters turning against the GOP.

“Those folks are starting to speak out,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the lead proponent of the tariff votes. “Those are warning signs to them that they need to do what the right thing is, and not just follow the president and his wayward ways.”

Tariff politics are already making their mark on a number of campaigns — especially in districts and states where manufacturing or agriculture have been adversely impacted. Rep. Haley Stevens, who is running in a competitive Democratic primary for a Michigan Senate seat, has hammered the Trump levies as part of her affordability message.

“Erratic, shoot-by-the-hip tariffs are causing Michiganders an incredible cost. They’re raising the cost of groceries and everyday goods,” Stevens told reporters after a United Auto Workers candidate forum held Wednesday in Washington. “We can’t withstand this level of uncertainty and chaos.”

The tariff votes were unlocked by a trio of House Republicans who are unusually immune to intraparty pressure. One, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, is a libertarian rebel who has clashed with Trump for months. Another, Rep. Kevin Kiley of California, had his district redrawn by Democrats last year and is less eager to toe the party line.

The third, Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), is retiring after repeated disagreements with the White House on tariffs, foreign policy and other matters. He said in an interview Wednesday the levies have simply been bad for his Omaha-centered district and that it was time to take a stand.

“There’s so many companies struggling against tariffs, and that’s what the president needs to hear,” he said. “Our farmers are struggling.”

White House officials and House GOP leaders unleashed an all-out pressure campaign to try to force the rebels to fall in line, calling around to other House Republicans and staffers asking “what buttons to push” with the holdouts, according to three people granted anonymity to describe the covert effort.

Bacon said that after he voted against the procedural measure and left the floor Tuesday night, GOP leaders tried to persuade him to come back and negotiate, offering tariff carve-outs and other incentives for businesses in his district.

“They were shocked,” Bacon recounted. “They said, ‘Why don’t you stick around?’ I said, ‘I’m not planning on negotiating.’”

After the tariff votes were unleashed, the Trump administration pivoted its lobbying campaign, according to one White House official, and is now focused on maintaining enough GOP support to prevent veto overrides. More than 70 Republicans would have to break ranks to meet the two-thirds majority for an override.

Some Democrats expected a major GOP jailbreak Wednesday, thinking Republicans would not want to threaten their reelection chances by voting to sustain the tariffs.

“[Republicans] have been remarkably loyal to a bad policy,” said Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.). “They were thinking about the president as this term began and as this push on tariffs was launched. And now they’re thinking about themselves.”

But as House members were voting Wednesday, Trump publicly threatened any turncoats.

“Any Republican, in the House or the Senate, that votes against TARIFFS will seriously suffer the consequences come Election time, and that includes Primaries!” he wrote on Truth Social.

When the gavel fell, only Hurd and two other Republicans — Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Dan Newhouse of Washington — had joined Bacon, Kiley and Massie. The tight margin all but guaranteed that the House will fail to override a Trump veto.

Elena Schneider contributed to this report.

Congress

Republicans give Warsh room on interest rates

Published

1 hour ago

September 17, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

The Federal Reserve just made congressional Republicans’ lives even harder in the run-up to the November midterm elections. But they’re holding their fire on Fed Chair Kevin Warsh.

The Fed this week hiked interest rates for the first time since Warsh took over as the central bank’s leader. The central bank’s unanimous decision to increase borrowing costs threatens to worsen the growing problems Republicans face around voters’ views of the economy and the high cost of living.

But some GOP lawmakers indicated they were relieved to see Warsh’s willingness to buck President Donald Trump after he faced withering criticism during his confirmation process from Democrats, who said he would do the president’s bidding in the role.

“The Fed has to be independent. They showed that they were independent,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, a South Dakota Republican who is up for reelection. “That should give confidence to the markets.”

Republicans’ willingness to give Warsh room — despite its potential political downsides for them — highlights their deference to the new Fed chief.

“It’s not good,” said Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican who lost a primary earlier this year to a Trump-backed opponent. “But it’s a fact that they need to get inflation under control. But the timing is not optimal.”

The decision to hike rates comes amid an uneasy dynamic where the Fed is taking action to tamp down rising inflation while Trump wants to see the economy boosted by cheaper borrowing costs. Republican lawmakers, meanwhile, are caught between supporting Trump’s economic agenda and voicing confidence in Warsh’s ability to bring inflation under control.

Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), a staunch supporter of the president who sits on the Senate Banking Committee, said that while she and Warsh “may have a different opinion on how we achieve a place where ultimately interest rates are low” and that she’d “love to see [lower rates],” she “trust[s] what [Warsh] is doing, and appreciate[s] the independence of the Fed.”

Warsh was tapped by Trump for the job in January with the hope that he would lower rates. However, since he was nominated, the U.S. entered into a conflict with Iran, high tariffs continued and gas prices soared, among other inflation and affordability concerns.

Trump-aligned lawmakers are cautioning against moving too aggressively to increase borrowing costs — but they are doing so gently.

Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) said in an interview that Warsh is “under a tremendous amount of pressure,” pointing to other Fed officials’ support for a hike.

“I understand the concerns about inflation, but I do think there’s a significant component of inflation that will be addressed as we address the situation in the Middle East,” Hagerty said.

Congress

Senate Democrats press Hegseth for Iran war price tag

Published

3 hours ago

September 17, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Forty-six members of the Senate Democratic caucus are demanding that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth provide a detailed accounting of the Iran war’s costs, arguing that the Pentagon has failed to explain how it has spent, and plans to spend, tens of billions of taxpayer dollars.

The letter, led by Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, was signed by every member of the Senate Democratic caucus except Sen. John Fetterman. Independent Sens. Bernie Sanders and Angus King, who caucus with Democrats, were also included.

The senators asked the Pentagon to provide a breakdown by Sept. 30 of all direct and indirect costs incurred to date in the conflict, as well as a breakdown of the administration’s $67 billion supplemental request. The senators also sought a detailed plan for how $34 billion of leftover funds allocated to the Pentagon in Republicans’ Big Beautiful Bill will be spent.

The letter also requests that the department specify which portions of the requested funds are intended to reimburse past expenses, and which are meant for future operations.

“Despite asking for tens of billions of additional taxpayer dollars, you have so far failed to provide basic information on how this money has and will be spent,” the senators wrote. “Congress must have access to this information to carry out our oversight responsibilities. It is the bare minimum that any American would expect in balancing their own household budget.”

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The demand comes as the war enters its seventh month with no agreement to end the conflict. On Tuesday, the Congressional Budget Office said the conflict would reach about $2 billion to $3 billion a month, noting that the first five months cost the U.S. $38 billion — the most comprehensive look at the conflict ahead of the midterm elections.

Fetterman has repeatedly broken with his party over the conflict, supporting President Donald Trump’s decision to strike Iran in February and voting against a measure seeking to limit Trump’s war powers. His distance from Democrats was underscored last week when he made a surprise video appearance at Trump’s Republican midterm convention in Dallas.

Fetterman’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Congress

Thune, Kemp to headline fundraiser for Georgia Senate GOP nominee Mike Collins

Published

5 hours ago

September 17, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp will headline a fundraiser next week for Rep. Mike Collins, the state’s GOP Senate nominee, according to an invite obtained by Blue Light News.

The Sept. 24 event will be held in Atlanta, and it comes as public polling shows Collins trailing Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff. Republicans have pushed to bring in more financial resources to close the gap in the top battleground.

Ossoff has repeatedly led Collins in candidate-level fundraising, but the Republican party committees and President Donald Trump’s MAGA Inc. super PAC combined hold a huge fundraising edge over the affiliated Democratic Party’s committees — which could potentially give Collins a boost.

The event, billed as a “roundtable and reception benefiting” Collins, could be a boon to Georgia Republicans, who have privately worried that party leaders are prioritizing other competitive Senate races, including in Michigan and Maine, as they look to defend the upper chamber.

Thune, as Senate GOP leader, is one of the party’s most prominent fundraisers. Kemp, meanwhile, has strong ties to Georgia and remains a popular figure in the state.

Collins’ campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“The party is closing ranks behind Mike Collins with two of the strongest fundraisers heading to Atlanta to help him,” said one person close to the Collins campaign, granted anonymity to speak candidly about the dynamics of the race. “That’s not the sign of a candidate in trouble, it’s the sign of a candidate — who has closed the race from 13 to 7 points while being outspent — getting air support to bring this thing home.”

Kemp — who initially backed former football coach Derek Dooley in the Senate GOP primary — endorsed Collins earlier this week.

The fundraiser will also feature Georgia’s first lady Marty Kemp.