3 House GOP Block Attempt to Shield Trump from Tariff Suits

Speaker Mike Johnson failed to reinstate a ban on lawmakers’ ability to challenge President Donald Trump’s tariffs when three Republicans crossed party lines to vote with Democrats, Veronica Stracqualursi and Alison Main reported for CNN.

The House rejected a recent procedural vote that contained language blocking votes in the chamber objecting to Trump’s tariffs through July. The move opens the door for Democrats to force votes to repeal the tariffs, dealing a blow to the administration.

With razor-thin margins, three Republicans — Reps. Thomas Massie, Don Bacon, and Kevin Kiley — were enough to sink the measure. Johnson can afford to lose only one Republican vote under the current margin.

The Senate has passed at least three resolutions rebuking Trump’s tariffs but has routinely met resistance in the House, where members were previously blocked from forcing votes on the issue.

Bacon said in a statement posted on X, “I don’t like putting the important work of the House on pause, but Congress needs to be able to debate tariffs.”

The Nebraska lawmaker added that tariffs have been a “net negative” for the economy and are a significant tax paid by American consumers, manufacturers, and farmers.

“Article I of the Constitution places authority over taxes and tariffs with Congress for a reason, but for too long we have handed that authority to the executive branch. It’s time for Congress to reclaim that responsibility,” he said.