'Turmoil' threatens Trump's last-gasp midterm plan as GOP gathers for retreat: analysis
A hopeful push from President Donald Trump to pass an elections bill he hopes could save the GOP from midterm devastation could be hindered by the party itself, a report revealed Monday.
Whether the Republican Party has time to address economic shortcomings and cost-of-living problems remains to be seen, though the president's push for an election bill could stretch the party too thin. The GOP, according to Politico reporters Meredith Lee Hill and Mia McCarthy, is in turmoil over the eight months left before the midterm elections.
The pair wrote, "Internally, turmoil continues to wrack the GOP’s ultra-narrow majority. Renegade members are routinely bucking leadership — for instance, hauling in Trump’s attorney general for testimony on the Jeffrey Epstein probe.
"And last week’s primaries generated a fresh trio of lame-duck Republicans who leaders fear might no longer feel compelled to show up for votes on a regular basis.
"On top of it all, Trump has focused his legislative energies on matters far afield from what many Republican lawmakers want to tackle. In recent days, he has renewed his push for a long-shot elections bill, adding in additional provisions targeting transgender rights for good measure."
The turmoil comes as GOP members get together for a retreat aimed, in part, at shoring up a midterm battle plan.
"The members gathering at Trump’s Doral resort Monday are seeking to keep the focus on what they can control — with plans to discuss a new party-line budget reconciliation bill as well as so-far elusive options to lower health care costs, fund the Department of Homeland Security and advance stalled housing legislation," Politico reported.
There may not be enough time for the GOP to carry forward certain bills either, with Representative Andy Harris (R-MD) suggesting the party has not yet figured out how to present them to the House.
He said, "We have to discuss exactly how we advance the president’s agenda for the last eight months before the election, and we have to set those plans in motion."
GOP leaders in the House "expect a serious battle to unfold during the retreat," and a promise from Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, could prove fatal for the future of some bills.
A reconciliation bill was promised previously by Johnson, though to get it through the House would "require almost complete unity among Republicans and faces the distinct possibility it could be DOA [dead on arrival] in the Senate."