House Republicans face internal and external headwinds as they gather to map out 2026

The party’s annual policy retreat comes amid challenges posed by the Middle East war and weakening economy.

GOP members like Thomas Massie, Nancy Mace and Tony Gonzales stand to be ongoing headaches for Speaker Mike Johnson. | Illustration by Bill Kuchman/POLITICO (source images via Francis Chung/POLITICO and AP)

DORAL, Florida — House Republicans head to their annual policy retreat Monday in south Florida. Their outlook for the remainder of 2026 is anything but sunny.

GOP lawmakers were already under pressure to address cost-of-living issues ahead of the November midterms. Now President Donald Trump’s decision to launch a war in the Middle East is spiking energy prices and threatening to strain the federal budget just as new signs emerge that the domestic economy is weakening.

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.

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