Republicans increasingly push back against Trump on war powers, spending and spying

Republicans who once treated Donald Trump’s objections as party marching orders showed a sharper willingness to defy him in Washington, D.C., as fights over war powers, spending and surveillance spilled across Capitol Hill. The break was not limited to one vote or one chamber. In the span of a few days, lawmakers crossed Trump on Iran, Ukraine, his White House ballroom project, an anti-weaponization fund at the Justice Department and the future of domestic spying powers.

The clearest rebuke came in the House, where members passed a war powers resolution on June 3 by 215-208 to limit U.S. military action against Iran. Four Republicans, Warren Davidson of Ohio, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Tom Barrett of Michigan and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, voted with Democrats. The resolution directs the president to remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran unless Congress declares war or authorizes force, a direct challenge to unilateral military action.

The House followed that vote on June 4 with legislation to provide more than $8 billion in security assistance and reconstruction aid to Ukraine and impose new sanctions on Russia. Eighteen Republicans joined Democrats, and the measure passed 226-195. The vote underscored how some Republicans are still willing to back assistance for Kyiv even as Trump has signaled skepticism about foreign aid and pressure on Moscow.

Spending fights produced another setback for the White House. Senate Republicans removed up to $1 billion in proposed Secret Service and White House security funding tied to Trump’s ballroom project from a major immigration package on June 3. The money had become politically and legislatively toxic after internal objections made it harder to defend inside the GOP.

The administration had already backed away from its $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund after backlash from both parties and a temporary block from a federal judge. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers on June 2 that the Justice Department was abandoning the plan, a retreat that showed even a signature Trump idea could collapse under congressional and legal pressure.

The most consequential test may come over surveillance. Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act was set to expire on June 12, and the Senate failed on June 5 to even open debate on reauthorization, falling 47-52 after seven Republicans joined almost all Democrats in opposition. That fight, complicated by a separate Trump-related appointment dispute, exposed how national-security hawks, privacy advocates and party leaders are colliding in real time.

Taken together, the votes suggest more than symbolic distancing. Republican resistance is emerging where Trump’s leverage has usually been strongest: war powers, spending priorities, nominations by proxy and the language of national security. Whether that hardens into a durable congressional check will shape how much of his agenda survives the next round of votes.