Trump faces headwinds on Venezuela, health care; Republicans break rank
President Donald Trump’s attack on Venezuela and threats against other countries, as well as concerns about affordability, exposed cracks in the congressional GOP this week at the start of a difficult midterm election year.
Trump avoided defeat when a majority of House Republicans refused to override the first of his presidency’s two vetoes; This has spurred a series of nonpartisan infrastructure bills that would benefit Colorado and Florida.
But it was an underwhelming week for Trump on Capitol Hill, despite Republicans signaling confidence.
“This is not an unusual situation, especially as we approach midterm elections where senators are in a difficult position,” Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., said Friday. CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”
A senior White House official said asylum seekers represent only a “small portion” of congressional Republicans.
“Republicans are not always going to have the same views as the president,” the White House official said.
Yet cracks have emerged in the GOP unity on many fronts.
On Thursday, 17 House Republicans broke ranks and voted with Democrats on legislation to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits for three years, despite opposition from Louisiana House Speaker Mike Johnson and widespread acceptance of Obamacare subsidies within the Republican party.
A White House official said Trump opposed the three-year extension, but the vote was not seen as a domestic defeat.
Enhanced tax credits first took effect in 2021 under President Joe Biden and have been a focal point of Democrats’ messaging on health care and affordability. The credits expired at the end of 2025, resulting in significantly higher premiums for millions of Americans who get their health insurance through the ACA marketplaces.
Many of those who supported the bill to expand tax credits were among the most vulnerable Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections.
Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., who voted for the extension, said, “I have long opposed the damage the Unafforded Care Act has done to our country, but I will not watch Wisconsinites lose their health care because Democrats let their own law collapse.” Published on X. Van Orden is running for re-election in a mixed district Cook Political Report.
Earlier Thursday, five Senate Republicans opposed the president and joined with Democrats on a procedural vote that could rein in his ability to take military action in Venezuela. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said “Republicans should be ashamed” of the senators who supported the primary vote and said they “should never be elected to office again.”
Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., one of the members Trump addressed, declined to comment on the president’s comments Thursday. When asked if he was open to changing his stance on subsequent War Powers votes, Young told reporters: “Why would I?”
But the White House said there was a “substantial chance” that future votes on the resolution would go in the president’s favor.
“Some of these members have left the door open to additional talks,” the senior official said.
Meanwhile, Sen. Thom Tillis (R.N.C.), who is retiring at the end of his term in January 2027, found himself at odds with the administration on several fronts.
On Wednesday, Tillis took aim at White House senior adviser Stephen Miller. Senate floorHe called Miller’s comments about the US takeover of Greenland “amateurish” and “stupid”.
A White House official described these statements as “disappointing.”
A day after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents killed a civilian in Minnesota, Tillis also announced that the Department of Homeland Security had blocked all of his nominees. But Tillis said the arrest was not related to the shooting, but rather to Trump’s refusal so far to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
“All I’m saying is you have to respect the judiciary committee,” Tillis told reporters this week. he said.
And on Thursday, Tillis and Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., led the Senate to approve a resolution to place a plaque honoring the police officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6.
The language authorizing the plaque was: became law As part of a larger appropriations bill in 2022. Monument had to be exhibited on the West front of the Capitol until March 2023, but was blocked by House Republicans.
Trump and his Republican allies in Congress tried to change the narrative on January 6. On its fifth anniversary this week, the White House started a web page He blames Democrats, then-Vice President Mike Pence and the Capitol Police for the violence that occurred that day.
Tillis said in a statement that the officers “risked their lives to defend the United States Capitol and protect members of Congress. Their courageous actions upheld the rule of law and ensured that our democratic institutions could continue to work as intended.” he said.
When asked about the plaque, a White House official said, “The Administration has no position on the decorations of the Capitol Building.”
