"When a vote to overturn his Canada levies came to the floor Wednesday, "I was in the cloakroom, and I heard people say, 'I hate tariffs,' and then voted" to leave them in place, Bacon recalled. Were it not for threats of retaliation from Trump and a heavy White House lobbying campaign, he estimated "30 or 40" Republicans would have broken ranks."
"In the end, only six did. But thanks to the thin margins in both chambers - especially the House - a few steel-spined lawmakers can have an outsized impact. That's a change from the dynamics in Trump's first term, when many House Republicans weren't fully on board with the president's MAGA agenda, but the GOP had a much larger majority to work with."
""The margin is razor-thin, so on any given day, I would just need one or two of my own co-conspirators to get something done," Massie said in an interview before predicting the situation will only get worse for Trump. "The retirement caucus is growing," he said, referring to the dozens of members not seeking reelection to the House. "Once we get past March, April, and May, which contain a large portion of their Republican primaries, I think you're going to see more defections.""
A recent vote to keep Canada tariffs in place revealed deep GOP divisions, with lawmakers saying they opposed tariffs but voted to keep them under pressure. Threats of retaliation from Trump and intensive White House lobbying deterred many defections, though one member estimated 30 to 40 Republicans would have broken ranks absent that pressure. Only six ultimately defected, but narrow margins in both chambers amplify the power of a few resolute lawmakers. Rep. Thomas Massie warned that a growing retirement caucus and upcoming primaries will likely produce more defections. Frustration is rising among Republicans who view rogue actions as politically harmful to the party.
Read at POLITICO
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