Republican disunity tests Speaker Mike Johnson’s grip on power as Congress enters election year

WASHINGTON - Republicans who control the US House of Representatives show increasing signs of disunity over core issues like healthcare, as moderates and hardliners clash with party leaders ahead of a high-stakes midterm election year that could decide the future of their slim majority and Speaker Mike Johnson’s political fate.

With Congress poised to let Affordable Care Act subsidies expire
, Republicans in swing districts that delivered a narrow 220-213 House Republican majority in the 2024 election are scrambling to circumvent Mr Johnson and his leadership team by forcing floor votes on legislation to extend the subsidies and spare constituents huge spikes in healthcare premiums.

“Too many people inside this echo chamber are not connected with their districts,” said Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, a moderate Republican from a Pennsylvania swing district, who aims to use a parliamentary manoeuvre called a discharge petition to force a vote on bipartisan legislation to extend ACA tax credits for two years.

“It’s an existential matter for people back home that we care about, where this is a very real problem,” he told reporters.

The House on Dec 11 approved a measure to overturn Republican President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting contract bargaining for federal workers that was forced to the floor by a discharge petition from Democratic Representative Jared Golden.

It passed with support from 22 Republicans.

“Our majority would not be a majority without Republicans who are, for example, pro-union. It wouldn’t exist,” said Representative Jeff Van Drew, a New Jersey Republican who backed the measure.

“We should not be the party of ‘no,’ the party of take away, the party that hurts people.”

A recent spate of discharge petitions, including one to require the release of government files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein
, illustrates the growing level of frustration among rank-and-file members who have been blocked from moving legislation by Mr Johnson’s leadership team or the White House.

Some warn that frustrations are so high that up to 20 House Republicans could announce their retirement in coming weeks, rather than face the loss of their majority in November’s midterm elections.

Republicans hope to retain their House and Senate majorities in 2026 but have been facing headwinds including voter anger over high costs and an election cycle that traditionally punishes the party of a sitting president.

Mr Trump has sought to shore up the party’s chances by demanding that Republican-led states boost the number of districts favourable to the party by redrawing their congressional maps, causing some Democratic-led states to respond in kind.

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows that Republicans hold an advantage with older voters.

But Republicans have been unsettled by recent electoral victories for Democrats
in New Jersey, Virginia, California and Florida.

Mr Johnson, a 53-year-old Louisiana Republican, has come to be seen by some Republicans as needing Mr Trump’s backing to be effective and will not likely continue at the top of the party if Republicans lose their majority, according to lawmakers.

He has come under criticism for keeping the House out of session for nearly eight weeks from mid-September to mid-November, to pressure Senate Democrats into voting to end the government shutdown.

Critics say the recess, the longest in decades not counting election years or summer breaks, set Congress back on key funding measures and legislation to advance Mr Trump’s priorities.

Johnson expresses confidence

Mr Johnson denies any threat to the future of his position or Republican control and cites the volume of legislation approved by the chamber during his tenure, including Mr Trump’s tax-cut and spending Bill
, which he helped muscle through Congress last summer ahead of a July 4 deadline that was widely viewed as unrealistic.

“Despite the unrelenting stream of palace intrigue stories that fill the pages of your publications, House Republicans remain united and focused on delivering results for our constituents,” Mr Johnson told reporters recently amid a spate of headlines about his leadership.

“Republicans are not just going to hold onto the majority. We’re going to grow it,” he predicted.

Mr Johnson faced an eruption of criticism from Republicans and Democrats after telling a podcaster in November about the rigours of the speakership, saying he has gone without vacation for two years and spent a Christmas taking calls from unhappy members.

“He’s a weak speaker. He is Donald Trump’s lap dog. All he cares about is making Donald Trump happy,” said Democratic Representative Jim McGovern of Massachusetts. “If the job’s too tough for you, Mike, just leave.”

But even some of Mr Johnson’s Republican critics say he has performed well as Speaker under untenable conditions imposed by a slim Republican majority that often appears to be at war with itself on any number of issues.

“Mike Johnson has an impossible task in the current political environment. I think that he does a very good job with that impossible task,” said Representative Keith Self, a hardline Republican from Texas. “But again, I emphasize the task is impossible.” REUTERS