WASHINGTON (AP) — The political year started with something of a pep rally for House Republicans, as President Donald Trump gathered them at the Kennedy Center in Washington for a rousing speech. But as lawmakers wrap up the first week of this year’s midterm elections, divisions within the party have emerged.
From resisting Trump’s self-proclaimed “donor doctrine” aggression in the Western Hemisphere to the breakdown of party unity on health care, Republican lawmakers are now showing signs of independence from Trump after spending much of last year acquiescing to nearly every one of his demands. It shows new dynamics in the Republican Party as Republicans mount a tough campaign to retain control of the House and Senate.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, speaking to a group of Republican Senate candidates at the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday, said Republicans will have a “laser-like focus” on affordability issues, noting that legislation on housing and health care is in the works.
Thune’s trip to the border and the discussion about affordability were a nod to some of the core themes of Trump’s presidential campaign. But the focus in Washington lately has been Trump’s military campaign to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, his threats to use force to take control of Greenland, the release of Jeffrey Epstein’s case files and the debate over expanding insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act — an issue on which Republicans have long struggled to find unity.
Recent shootings at Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in several U.S. cities, including the death of a woman in Minneapolis, have also raised new questions about Republicans’ hardline immigration agenda and diverted attention from Trump’s handling of the border, which they see as a political success.
Even so, Trump still has sufficient control over most members of the party. As evidenced by two unsuccessful veto override votes in the House this week, a majority of Republican members still support the president despite previously voting in favor of these low-profile bills.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., one of the few Republicans who continues to defy Trump, said the president engaged in “some intimidation from the pulpit” that led to the failed veto override.
Still, Democrats believe Trump is ignoring the needs of Americans, especially in the wake of the attacks in Venezuela.
“He is headed for another endless, costly war while American families here struggle with skyrocketing costs,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said.
Venezuela war powers vote gains Republican support
To make their point, Democrats are forcing votes on war powers resolutions that would prevent Trump from attacking Venezuela without congressional approval. Such measures rarely succeed, but a procedural vote on the bill on Thursday drew support from five Republicans and a final vote is scheduled for next week. House Democrats are pushing for a similar resolution.
Republican senators who voted for the bill sought to defuse their conflict with Trump, saying their position was consistent with Trump’s own campaign promise to reduce U.S. commitments abroad.
“A protracted campaign by U.S. forces in Venezuela, even if unintentional, would run counter to President Trump’s goal of ending the diplomatic entanglement,” Republican Sen. Todd Young of Indiana, who voted for the war powers resolution, said in a lengthy statement explaining his vote.
Trump reacted with anger. The president immediately called on five Republicans, including Maine Sen. Susan Collins, who is up for re-election this year, to “never be elected president again.”
Republicans are already dealing with the retirement of several lawmakers who have had rocky relationships with Trump, raising concerns that the conflict could further complicate their campaigns.
“If Susan wasn’t a senator from Maine, we would end up with Democrats,” said Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio. “That would be ten times worse. But I do appreciate that President Trump is absolutely angry.”
Republicans oppose Trump’s Greenland plan
Trump’s desire to own Greenland and his administration’s decision not to rule out the use of military force also faced stiff resistance from Republican lawmakers this week.
North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who is retiring after confronting Trump last summer, declared on the Senate floor that he was “tired of stupidity.” He was particularly critical of White House deputy policy director Stephen Miller, who said Greenland should become part of the United States
“I want to give this president good advice because I want this president to leave a great legacy,” Tillis added. “This nonsense about what’s going on in Greenland distracts from the great job he’s doing, and the amateurs who think this is a good idea should lose their jobs.”
Other Republicans, including Thune and Sen. Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, also gently pushed back on military threats against Denmark, a U.S. NATO ally.
After meeting with the Danish ambassador, Wike said Denmark had the right not to sell Greenland.
“I’m troubled by Greenland. I’m troubled by some of the things he’s done. I don’t understand it,” said Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, another retiring Republican. “I do feel like Congress should be more independent and should provide checks and balances here.”
Bacon added that Trump still has the ability to “bully” his Republican colleagues, but that Trump’s threats “send a stiffening up my spine.”
Healthcare vote exposes divisions
Speaking at the Kennedy Center on Tuesday, Trump urged Republicans to take health care seriously. Yet as the House voted Thursday on a Democratic proposal to extend expired health subsidies for Affordable Care Act health plans, 17 Republicans broke with party leadership to help pass the bill.
“People recognize the challenge here, which is addressing health care affordability,” said Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., who voted for the proposal.
He remains critical of the Affordable Care Act, a signature piece of Democratic legislation, but the health care debate unfolding in Congress is one that Democrats are confident will make a central campaign issue.
“In the first week of the new year, House Democrats — every one of us, along with 17 Republicans — worked together in a bipartisan way to protect health care for the American people,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said after the vote.
The plaque will be released on January 6th
On the fifth anniversary of the attack on the Capitol, Trump told House Republicans that he had told his supporters to “peacefully and patriotically” defy Congress to demand its certification of the 2020 presidential election. The White House also released a website describing the Jan. 6 attack as a “witch hunt” against him by congressional Democrats and some Republicans.
But the Republican-controlled Senate this week agreed to display a plaque honoring the police officers who defended the Capitol — a cause that has become a bone of contention as Trump takes office. The plaque has been preserved rather than displayed because House Speaker Mike Johnson said the monument did not comply with the law.
It was Tillis again who pushed the issue to the Republican side. He said it was important to pay tribute to the police and staff who risked their lives that day.
Democrats involved in the move said they were alarmed by the White House’s attempt to rewrite the narrative.
“It’s important that we be honest with the American people about what happened,” said Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.
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Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Steven Sloan, Lisa Mascaro and Nathan Elgren contributed.
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This story corrects Rep. Mike Lawler’s partisanship. He’s a Republican, not a Democrat.
