One year in, Trump’s grip and GOP feuds paralyse US House law-making

Trump pressure paralyses Republican-led Congress

Republicans’ control of Washington in 2025 failed to translate into a productive year for the US House of Representatives, which slumped to historic lows in law-making amid internal party rifts and persistent concern over how US President Donald Trump might react to key decisions. Republican lawmakers repeatedly held back legislation that risked provoking the President, fostering an atmosphere of caution that left the chamber operating at its slowest pace in years.

A wafer-thin majority and simmering tensions between establishment Republicans and hard-right factions compounded the paralysis. Even routine legislative business was delayed, leadership votes turned into drawn-out contests, and major policy initiatives struggled to make it to the House floor.

By the end of the year, the House had passed fewer laws than in any modern session, highlighting how Trump’s influence — combined with deep Republican infighting — left Congress unable to fully exercise the authority it held.

Trump’s shadow freezes the House

Speaker Mike Johnson spent much of the year trying to keep the House functioning while managing internal resistance and steering clear of legislation opposed by the President. The chamber was out of session for nearly eight weeks, a stretch that overlapped with the longest government shutdown in US history.

Johnson also avoided politically sensitive votes, including measures to repeal Trump-era tariffs, force the release of files linked to Jeffrey Epstein, or extend expiring health care subsidies. These tactical decisions further inflamed tensions within the Republican conference.

Rank-and-file revolt shatters GOP control

Frustration among rank-and-file Republicans increasingly boiled over into attempts to sidestep leadership by using discharge petitions — a procedural tool traditionally seen as symbolic and rarely successful.

In 2025, however, several such efforts broke through. Legislation connected to the Epstein issue was passed last autumn, and the House later approved a bill restoring health care subsidies, though its future remains uncertain in an election year.

Lawmaking grinds to a near halt

The House held just 362 votes in 2025, the second-lowest total in the past 25 years. Only 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted congressional operations, recorded fewer votes.

It was also the smallest number of votes in a non-election year since 1990. The curtailed legislative schedule directly contributed to a sharp drop in the number of laws enacted.

Since 2001, only one year — 2023 — saw fewer bills passed. That year was marked by intense turmoil, culminating in the removal of Speaker Kevin McCarthy after he relied on Democratic support to pass spending legislation.

Unlike 2023, Republicans in 2025 controlled the House, Senate and White House, underscoring the depth of the dysfunction.

While Congress moved swiftly to approve Trump’s tax cuts and domestic policy agenda, Johnson routinely delayed or blocked measures opposed by the President. He leaned on obscure procedural manoeuvres to prevent votes on cancelling tariffs and resisted advancing other bipartisan proposals.

As a result, many lawmakers concluded that the House had effectively sidelined itself, allowing legislative authority to drift towards the White House.

Censures, departures and a shrinking majority

As lawmaking stalled, internal discipline increasingly dominated House activity. Six formal censures were brought to the floor in 2025, matching the total from 2023.

That earlier year included the expulsion of George Santos, who faced 23 federal criminal charges and was found to have repeatedly lied to voters about his background.

Disillusionment with the chamber’s direction also prompted several Republicans to leave Congress, including Georgia’s Marjorie Taylor Greene, further narrowing the party’s already fragile majority.