'We're making a huge mistake': GOP lawmakers can't get past major roadblock they created

Republican infighting has erupted into open warfare, with GOP lawmakers in both chambers of Congress publicly blaming each other for legislative paralysis and threatening to torpedo their own party's agenda ahead of crucial midterm elections.
According to reporting from Politico, tensions between House and Senate leadership have "boiled over in recent weeks" as the two chambers remain at odds on housing, surveillance law, and election proposals — with Republicans controlling Washington yet unable to deliver on their priorities.
"We control Washington. When … we don't get things done, we're making a huge mistake," said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), taking direct aim at his House counterparts. "We've got to deliver."
Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), the House Appropriations chair, expressed similar frustration about GOP divisions, telling Politico, "You can either be part of a functional majority and get almost everything or you can hold out and get nothing and be in the minority next time."
"I guess we can all vote 'no' together — that'll be exciting," he added sarcastically.
The chambers return to session Monday after a short recess facing a shrinking legislative window. With Republicans set to spend more time back home campaigning, much of their legislative agenda now risks being stuck in limbo if the two chambers cannot align on key issues.
Rather than blame Speaker Johnson, who struggles daily to control his razor-thin majority, senior House Republicans have launched a coordinated offensive against their Senate counterparts, the report notes. A growing chorus of House GOP lawmakers is demanding the Senate eliminate the filibuster — something Republicans don't have the votes to accomplish — and have complained about being cut out of major decisions over the past year.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) specifically unloaded on the Senate after Republicans there excluded immigration enforcement funding that Democrats opposed. "This is what Americans get so upset with about politicians. This is literally what they're mad about. These guys won't do their jobs," Emmer said.
Politico is reporting that "significant intraparty clashes" now appear inevitable. Republicans granted themselves until mid-June to figure out how to extend Section 702 surveillance authority. The House passed a three-year extension of the surveillance law but tied it to a permanent ban on Federal Reserve digital currency — a provision that is dead on arrival in the Senate.