Congressional Cowards is a weekly series highlighting the worst Donald Trump defenders on Capitol Hill, who refuse to criticize him—no matter how disgraceful or lawless his actions.
If vulnerable GOP lawmakers wanted to show they won't be a rubber stamp for President Donald Trump's least popular policies, voting to cancel his destructive tariffs—which have raised prices for American consumers and hampered the job market—would have been an easy place to start.
Tariffs are overwhelmingly unpopular, with large majorities disapproving of the policy and saying that the Supreme Court should negate the tariffs.
Yet on Wednesday night, 97% of House Republicans—including a number of the most vulnerable lawmakers in the 2026 midterms—voted against ending Trump's lawless levies on imported goods from Canada, caving to threats from their Dear Leader who has admitted to using tariffs to try to get his way with foreign leaders. A day earlier, just three House Republicans broke rank to even reclaim their own power to set tariffs.
“Cleanup on aisle tariff” by Clay Bennett
"Any Republican, in the House or Senate, that votes against TARIFFS will seriously suffer the consequences come Election time, and that includes Primaries!" Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social after every House Democrat and six GOP lawmakers had already voted to cancel his Canadian tariffs.
Indeed, many of the Republican lawmakers who voted against reclaiming their own tariff authority and ending Trump's destructive trade policies were from farming communities that have been hit especially hard by the trade war Trump started.
For example, Rep. Ashley Hinson—an Iowa Republican who is running for Senate in the Hawkeye State—voted against cancelling Trump's 25% tariffs on Canada, even though Iowa farmers are struggling after Trump's tariffs started a trade war that has decimated their soybean businesses.
Earlier in the week, Hinson had been cagey about how she'd vote. But the threats from Dear Leader apparently scared her into submission.
“I voted against this resolution because President Trump is the only one willing to level the playing field and deliver new market opportunities," Hinson said after the vote, bizarrely framing the tariffs as helpful when they have actually led foreign nations to retaliate and refuse to purchase U.S. farm crops. "Waiting isn’t tenable when margins are tight, our farmers' livelihoods are on the line, and so much is out of their control. While reversing decades of failed America Last policies won’t happen overnight, we must secure strong, enforceable trade agreements that open markets for our farmers ASAP. We have to deliver lasting stability for our producers and protect families here at home.”
It's something her prospective Democratic opponents highlighted.
"Ashley Hinson does not care about Iowa farmers and ranchers. At every opportunity, she fails to fight for our rural communities," state Rep. Josh Turek wrote in a post on X. "When I am in the U.S. Senate, I will put Iowans first, not billionaires, party leaders, or multinational corporations."
"Ashley Hinson has now voted multiple times to keep Donald Trump’s reckless tariffs in place—tariffs that have slammed Iowa farmers, squeezed our ag economy, and raised prices on hardworking families and retirees," Democratic state Sen. Zach Wahls wrote in a post on X. "Instead of standing up for Iowa, Ashley Hinson keeps voting for higher costs and more uncertainty for our state. I’ll always fight for policies that open markets for Iowa agriculture, lower costs for families, and put Iowa workers first, not reckless tariffs that hurt our own people."
Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa
Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), one of the most vulnerable GOP lawmakers running for reelection in 2026, also voted to keep the tariffs, but did not make a public statement defending her vote. She must not be proud of it, because she did post a statement about her vote the same evening for a Republican voter suppression bill.
And Rep. David Valadao, a vulnerable California Republican whose district includes a large swath of the Golden State's farmland, also voted against canceling the tariffs. Back in April, he had said Congress should set tariffs, not the executive branch. Yet when he had the chance to do just that, he balked, caving to threats from Trump.
Like Miller-Meeks, there is no statement on Valadao's website explaining his vote.
In fact, of the six Republicans who voted to cancel Trump’s tariffs, two——Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska and Dan Newhouse of Washington—aren’t seeking reelection. A third—Rep. Kevin Kiley of California—was drawn out of his safely Republican seat, meaning he had nothing to lose in going against Dear Leader. A fourth, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), is already facing a Trump-endorsed primary opponent. So that leaves just two Republicans—Reps. Jeff Hurd of Colorado and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania—who dared defy their Dear Leader.
Democrats say they will use this vote against the lawmakers in the November elections.
“By voting in favor of price hiking tariffs, vulnerable House Republicans chose fealty to Donald Trump and their Deputy Speaker over addressing the affordability crisis haunting their constituents," Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Spokesperson Justin Chermol said in a statement. "There are no more ‘moderates’ left in the Republican Party, just corrupt sycophants.”
