Reporter's Notebook: GOP rebels defy Trump as congressional grip continues to weaken across multiple votes

President Donald Trump’s grip on the Republican-controlled Congress is not quite what it was.

Republicans in Congress dealt the president two blows in recent days and came within shouting distance of two more.

That’s not to say that the president’s influence among the GOP is completely waning on Capitol Hill. Congressional Republicans are still a pro-MAGA group. But something is different.

2026 is an election year. Some Republicans are trained on their own re-election chances.