A senior Republican lawmaker, considered an ally of President Donald Trump, warned that the ruling party could face a crushing defeat in the 2026 midterm elections due to tariff policies.
According to the Financial Times (FT) on the 5th (local time), Senator Ted Cruz (Texas) expressed opposition to President Trump's tariff policy during his podcast on that day.
Senator Cruz said, "If every country on Earth imposes retaliatory tariffs on the United States and President Trump's reciprocal tariffs remain in place, the outcome will be catastrophic." He noted that if the conflict between the U.S. and other countries expands into a full-blown trade war, it could ultimately inflict serious damage on the U.S. economy, including employment and prices.
Senator Cruz expressed concern, saying, "If the U.S. experiences a recession and the public suffers greatly, voters will punish the ruling party." He added, "If the U.S. falls into a serious recession, the 2026 midterm elections are likely to be a disaster. Both the House and the Senate could fall to the Democrats." The current federal House has 220 seats for the Republicans and 213 seats for the Democrats. The Senate has a Republican majority with 53 seats.
The FT assessed Cruz's remarks as "the strongest criticism from ruling party lawmakers regarding President Trump's tariff policy to date."
Earlier, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley (Iowa) introduced a bill that would require congressional approval within 60 days if the president imposes new tariffs, and if not approved, suspend the effect of the new tariffs.
This bill, which aims to impose a brake on the president's authority to impose tariffs, was co-sponsored by Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Mitch McConnell (Kentucky), Thom Tillis (North Carolina), and Jerry Moran (Kansas).