House Speaker Mike Johnson is pushing to prohibit challenges to President Donald Trump’s tariffs coming from Democrats and Republicans in Congress.
The tariffs have been a subject a controversy since Trump instituted them last year. In January, he threatened to slap an additional ten percent tariff on various European nations that would jump to twenty-five percent in June. The move was aimed at applying pressure in the standoff over his efforts to acquire Greenland for the federal government.
From Politico:
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 if 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 that 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.
The new language Johnson added would mean that the days between February 10 and July 31 would not count toward the deadline for filing fast-track resolutions to end declarations of national emergency like the one Trump used to impose the tariffs.
BREAKING: Mike Johnson says that it is “undisputed” that Trump’s tariffs have been great for America. Remember: these costs get passed on to you. Prices are increasing because of these tariffs. These guys are completely out of touch with reality. pic.twitter.com/OjSJiTAF9D
— Trump Lie Tracker (Commentary Account) (@MAGALieTracker) February 10, 2026
GOP leaders used a similar maneuver in 2025 when they prevented early challenges to Trump’s tariffs.
Many Republican lawmakers support the tariffs as an essential tool to reset global trade and win better conditions for the United States’ trade agreements with other nations. Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) publicly defended the tariffs and dismissed concerns about higher prices for everyday consumers as an acceptable “pain” to advance the America First agenda.
However, a number of GOP lawmakers are still pushing back on the tariffs. They raised concerns about increased prices on imported goods and possible retaliation from other countries.