Speaker Mike Johnson said in an interview Tuesday he will push ahead an afternoon vote to ban challenges to President Donald Trump’s global tariffs over committed internal GOP opposition.
Language tucked into a procedural measure would forestall votes on privileged resolutions of disapproval through July 31, reviving a ban that expired Jan. 31 as Democrats plan to push fresh tariff votes as soon as Wednesday. But Johnson is facing growing GOP backlash to the move from a band of tariff-skeptical House Republicans.
Two of them, Reps. Kevin Kiley of California and Thomas Massie of Kentucky, told POLITICO they will oppose the rule — enough to tank the procedural vote is all Democrats vote against it as expected. Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) also said she is a “no” on the procedural vote, though she is known to change her mind on the floor.
Inside a closed-door conference meeting Tuesday morning, Johnson told House Republicans he was going ahead with the vote, arguing to members they needed to wait until the Supreme Court rules on Trump’s tariff powers, according to three people in the room granted anonymity to describe the private meeting. That ruling could comes as late as the end of June.
Majority Leader Steve Scalise declined to say if GOP leaders would have the vote to adopt the blockade language, telling a POLITICO reporter to “ask the whip questions about vote coalitions.”
Mia McCarthy contributed to this report.
