House Republicans Fail to Give Trump More Tariff Powers

Democrats celebrate victory as GOP struggles to maintain control over tariff policies.

Published on Feb. 11, 2026

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House Republicans attempted to pass a measure that would have temporarily blocked votes on resolutions disapproving of President Donald Trump's tariffs, but the effort narrowly failed. Democrats voted unanimously to defeat the measure, joined by three House Republicans. The vote suggests a narrowly divided House, and Democrats are now preparing to force unlimited votes on the president's global tariffs, putting Republicans on the spot.

Why it matters

The vote highlights the ongoing power struggle between Congress and the president over trade policy. While the Constitution grants Congress the power to levy tariffs, Trump has sought to expand executive authority in this area, leading to concerns about the erosion of legislative checks and balances.

The details

The Republican measure was tucked into a rule setting up floor consideration for legislation related to US energy security. A similar provision was passed in the House in September before expiring at the end of January, but Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was unable to get it passed this time. Democrats celebrated the defeat as a "heartening" victory, with Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) expressing concern that the vast majority of Republicans were comfortable letting the president take their constitutionally mandated power over taxation.

  • The House vote took place on Tuesday, February 11, 2026.
  • A similar provision was passed in the House in September before expiring at the end of January 2026.

The players

Donald Trump

The former president who sought to expand executive authority over tariff policies.

Mike Johnson

The Republican Speaker of the House who was unable to get the measure passed this time.

Don Beyer

A Democratic Representative from Virginia who celebrated the defeat of the measure as a "heartening" victory.

Matt Fuller

The director of congressional reporting at MS NOW who argued that it was more notable that 214 House Republicans voted to hand Trump unchecked authority over tariffs than that three Republicans voted against it.

Jake Sherman

The co-founder of Punchbowl News who argued that the vote represented a "watershed moment" that could open the door to several defeats for the Trump administration on the House floor in the coming days.

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What they’re saying

“Most Republicans again tried to surrender Congress' power as a coequal branch of government to check a president who is behaving like a mad king. The trade powers Trump is illegally usurping are expressly granted to Congress under the Constitution.”

— Don Beyer, Democratic Representative from Virginia (Social media post)

“It's a lot more notable to me that 214 House Republicans voted to hand Donald Trump unchecked authority to levy tariffs until August than it is that three House Republicans said 'no'.”

— Matt Fuller, Director of congressional reporting at MS NOW (MS NOW)

“Now Democrats have the opportunity to force unlimited votes on the president's global tariffs, putting Republicans on the spot all the time. If Dems handle this well, this is going to get bad for rank and file House Republicans. And it will piss off Trump.”

— Jake Sherman, Co-founder of Punchbowl News (Social media post)

What’s next

Democrats are preparing to force unlimited votes on the president's global tariffs, putting Republicans on the spot. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) is already teeing up a resolution to overturn Trump's tariffs against Canada that is set for a vote on Wednesday afternoon.

The takeaway

The vote highlights the ongoing power struggle between Congress and the president over trade policy, with concerns about the erosion of legislative checks and balances. It also suggests that the narrowly divided House could lead to further defeats for the Trump administration on the House floor in the coming days as Democrats seek to challenge the president's tariff policies.