David Morgan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republicans who control the U.S. House of Representatives are showing growing signs of disunity on core issues such as health care, as moderates and hardliners clash with party leaders ahead of a high-stakes midterm election year that could determine the future of their slim majority and the political fate of Speaker Mike Johnson.
As Congress prepares to let Affordable Care Act subsidies expire, Republicans in swing districts who hold a slim 220-213 House Republican majority in the 2024 election are scrambling to bypass Johnson and his leadership team to force a House vote on legislation to extend subsidies and avoid steep increases in health insurance premiums for their constituents.
“There are too many people in this echo chamber who are not connected to their districts,” said Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a moderate Republican from a swing district in Pennsylvania who aims to use a congressional tactic called “dismissal petitions” to force a bipartisan vote on legislation that would extend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits for two years. “For the people in our hometown that we care about, this is a matter of survival. It’s a very real issue,” he told reporters.
The House on Thursday approved a measure to overturn Republican President Donald Trump’s executive order limiting federal worker contract negotiations, which was forced by Democratic Rep. Jared Golden’s firing petition. The bill passed with the support of 22 Republicans.
“Without pro-union Republicans, our majority wouldn’t be a majority. It wouldn’t exist,” said Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., who sponsored the measure. “We shouldn’t be the party of ‘no,’ the party of deprivation, the party of harming others.”
growing frustration
A recent flurry of petitions for release, including one calling for the release of government documents on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, points to growing frustration among rank-and-file members who are being blocked from pushing legislation by Johnson’s leadership team or the White House. Some warn that frustration is so high that as many as 20 House Republicans could announce their retirement in the coming weeks rather than lose their majority in November’s midterm elections.
Republicans hope to retain their House and Senate majorities in 2026 but have faced headwinds, including voter anger over high costs and an election cycle that has traditionally punished the party of the sitting president. Trump has sought to boost the party’s chances by requiring Republican-led states to redraw congressional maps to increase the number of districts that favor Republicans, leading some Democratic-led states to respond in kind.
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Republicans have an edge among older voters. But Republicans are uneasy about recent Democratic electoral victories in New Jersey, Virginia, California and Florida.
Johnson, a 53-year-old Louisiana Republican who is seen by some Republicans as needing Trump’s support to be effective, is unlikely to remain party leader if the party loses its majority, lawmakers said.
He was criticized for keeping the House out of session for nearly eight weeks from mid-September to mid-November to force Senate Democrats to vote to end the shutdown. Critics say the recess, the longest in decades not including an election year or summer break, sets Congress back on key funding measures and legislation that advance Trump’s priorities.
Johnson expresses confidence
Johnson denied there was any threat to the future of his office or Republican control and cited the raft of legislation approved by the House during his tenure, including Trump’s tax cuts and spending bill, which he helped pass through Congress last summer before a July 4 deadline that was widely seen as impractical.
“Despite your publications being filled with stories of palace intrigue, House Republicans remain united and focused on delivering results for our constituents,” Johnson recently told reporters amid a series of headlines about his leadership.
“The Republican Party will not only keep the majority. We will expand it,” he predicted.
Johnson faced fierce criticism from Republicans and Democrats after he told a podcast last month about the rigors of the speakership, saying he had not taken a day off in two years and spent Christmas taking calls from disgruntled lawmakers.
“His oratory skills are terrible. He is Donald Trump’s lapdog. All he cares about is making Donald Trump happy,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass. “If this job is too hard for you, Mike, just leave.”
But even some of Johnson’s Republican critics say Johnson has performed well as speaker under untenable conditions imposed by a slim Republican majority that often seems to contradict itself on many issues.
“In the current political environment, Mike Johnson faces an impossible task. I think he’s doing a very good job at that impossible task,” said Rep. Keith Self, a hardline Republican from Texas. “But I stress again that this task is impossible.”
(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Scott Malone and Diane Craft)
