At a time when Trump still holds a firm grip on many Republican voters, Associated Press reported that a smaller group of Hill Republicans has shown more willingness to break with the White House, including on issues involving the Iran war and funding debates tied to immigration enforcement.
The shift is tied to lawmakers’ growing sense that they have less to lose politically, the AP report said, and it comes as the GOP’s congressional majority remains described as tenuous. With Republicans holding thin control in both chambers, even a few votes crossing party lines could affect whether major legislation advances before the November midterms.
Among those changing their approach, AP reported that Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana became the newest member of the cohort after losing his primary to a Trump-backed challenger. AP said that just days later, Cassidy reversed himself on legislation involving the war in Iran and voted with Democrats to rein in U.S. military action. AP also quoted Cassidy telling reporters that “The way our Constitution is set up, Congress should hold the executive branch accountable,” the day before.
The AP report suggested additional GOP breakaways could follow, pointing to Sen. John Cornyn of Texas as a potential next example if Trump’s endorsement of Cornyn’s rival translates into a nomination fight that reshapes incentives. AP further described other lawmakers as already moving independently, including those in the Senate who have at times challenged Trump’s cabinet choices or taken part in Democratic efforts tied to war powers.
AP described Thomas Massie of Kentucky as a longstanding figure in the group, saying his status was solidified after he lost his primary on Tuesday to a Trump-backed challenger. It said Massie had frustrated Trump since the president’s first term by, among other actions, voting against Trump’s signature tax and spending bill and pushing for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. AP said Massie hinted there was more to come, telling the crowd during his concession speech, “I got seven months left in Congress,” as the audience erupted.
The report also pointed to Sen. Thom Tillis, who AP said has criticized former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and later turned attention to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. It also cited Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, saying she joined Democrats last week in a bid to curb Trump’s war powers in Iran, along with mention of other Republicans such as Sens. Susan Collins and Mitch McConnell who have voted against some Trump cabinet picks, and Rep. Don Bacon, who AP said has pushed to reclaim congressional power over tariffs.
Democrats, according to AP, are looking to capitalize on the GOP splits. AP said House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters at an event in Washington sponsored by the Center for American Progress that he would aim to drive a wedge between Republicans by using a discharge petition to bring issues directly to the floor for a vote. AP quoted Jeffries saying, “When we’re disciplined and when we’re focused and when we put pressure in particular on the so-called swing seat Republicans, they have been breaking with us.”
AP said Jeffries’s discharge-petition approach has been used before to secure House passage on issues including the Epstein files and temporary protection of Haitian immigrants. AP also quoted California Gov. Gavin Newsom, saying Trump’s endorsement of Cornyn’s rival was a sign that Trump’s political influence “lies within the Republican base — not the American public at large,” and Newsom said, “He’s showed the only influence he has, and that’s an outsize influence within the base of the party,” adding that “Otherwise he’s shown little to no influence with the American people.”
On Capitol Hill, AP said Republican leaders are already thinking about how votes might be cobbled together for impending tests. AP reported that Thune called Cornyn a “principled conservative” and “very effective senator” on Tuesday and that Thune said, “None of us control what the president does.” AP said the next tests could come later in the week as Thune pushes a funding package for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection designed to pass on a party line basis, while Democrats look to pressure swing-seat Republicans.
AP also included interviews and comments about Cassidy’s likely behavior in his final months in office. AP reported that Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota called Cassidy a “good friend” and said the loss was “tough for him,” adding that Hoeven said Cassidy “will always vote in line with what he thinks is best” but that Hoeven doubted Cassidy would become a less reliable Republican vote. AP also reported Hoeven’s fellow Louisianan, Sen. John Kennedy, saying Cassidy deploys power “rationally and maturely” and “will continue to do the same thing,” while Cassidy told AP he was going to do “what’s good for my country and my state.”
AP further said Cassidy’s independent streak resurfaced, including remarks about a western alliance that AP described as “totally falling apart” after Trump visited China. The report said Cassidy also appeared surprised by what AP described as the administration’s creation of a nearly $1.8 billion fund intended to compensate Trump allies who they believe were unjustly investigated and prosecuted, and AP quoted Cassidy saying, “I just came off the campaign trail,” and that “People are concerned about making their own ends meet, not about putting a slush fund together without a legal precedent.”