Fractures are beginning to appear within Trump’s Republican Party as some Republicans oppose Greenland, Venezuela and health care.

For House Republicans, the political year began with apep rallysort of likePresident Donald Trumpbrought them together at the Kennedy Center in Washington for a wild speech. But by the time lawmakers finished their first week of work this year’s midterm elections, fractures within the party were already visible.

From pushback to Trump’s declarationThe “Donroe Doctrine” of AggressionIn the Western Hemisphere, following the breakdown of party unity on health care, Republican lawmakers are showing signs of independence from Trump after spending much of the last year acquiescing to his mandate.almost all requests. It showed new dynamics within the Republican Party as Republicans embark on a tough campaign to maintain control of the House and Senate.

Senate Majority LeaderJohn Thunespeaking Friday at the U.S.-Mexico border with a group of Republican Senate candidates, said Republicans were “going to be focused like a laser” on affordability issues and highlighted pending legislation on housing and health care.

Thune’s trip to the border and discussions of affordability were a nod to some of the central themes of Trump’s presidential campaign. But Washington’s recent attention has been dominated by Trump’s military operation to capture the Venezuelan leader.Nicolas Madurohis threats to use military force to take over Greenland, the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files and a debate over expanding insurance subsidies offered under the Affordable Care Act — an issue on which Republicans have long struggled to find unity.

Recent shootings by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in several U.S. cities, including one thatkilled a womanin Minneapolis, also raised new questions about Republicans’ hardline immigration agenda and distracted attention from Trump’s handling of the border, which theyseen as a political success.

Despite this, Trump still has considerable control over most of the party. This was demonstrated this week by twoUnsuccessful House veto overturns votesin which most GOP members remained with the president despite previously voting for the discrete bills.

Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who was one of the few Republicans to consistently challenge Trump, said “there was some pulpit intimidation” from the president that defeated the veto.

Still, Democrats argue that Trump is turning away from Americans’ needs, especially after the attack on Venezuela.

“He is heading toward another endless, costly war, while American families here grapple with skyrocketing costs,” said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.

Venezuela War Powers Vote Draws Republican Party Support

To prove their point, Democratsforce vote on war powers resolutionsThis would prevent Trump from attacking Venezuela without congressional approval. Such measures are rarely successful, but aprocedural vote on legislationwon the support of five Republicans on Thursday, setting up a final vote next week. House Democrats are also proposing a similar resolution.

Republican senators who voted for the bill tried to defuse the conflict with Trump by arguing that their positions were consistent with his own campaign promises to reduce U.S. commitments abroad.

“A prolonged campaign in Venezuela involving the U.S. military, even if unintentional, would be antithetical to President Trump’s goal of ending foreign interference,” Sen. Todd Young, an Indiana Republican who voted for the war powers resolution, said in a lengthy statement explaining his vote.

Trump reacted with fury. The president quickly called on the five Republicans, including Maine Sen. Susan Collins, who is up for re-election this year, to “never be elected again.”

Republicans are already facing the retirement of several lawmakers who had difficult relationships with Trump, and there were fears that such clashes could further complicate their campaign.

“If Susan is not a senator from Maine, we are going to end up with a Democrat,” said Sen. Bernie Moreno, Republican of Ohio. “It would be 10 times worse. But I understand that President Trump is absolutely pissed.”

Republican Party rejects Trump’s Greenland plans

Trump’s desire toown Greenlandand his administration’s decision not to rule out military force also met significant resistance from Republican lawmakers this week.

Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who is retiring after taking on Trump last summer, took to the Senate floor to proclaim that he was “sick of the nonsense.” He specifically criticized White House deputy policy chief Stephen Miller for saying Greenland should be part of the United States.

“I want good advice for this president, because I want this president to have a good legacy,” Tillis added. “And this nonsense about what’s happening in Greenland distracts from the good work he’s doing, and the amateurs who said it was a good idea should lose their jobs.”

Other Republicans, including Thune and Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Roger Wicker, have also gently pushed back against military threats against Denmark, which is a U.S. NATO ally.

After meeting with the Danish ambassador, Wicker declared that Denmark had the right not to sell Greenland.

“I’m troubled by Greenland. I’m troubled by some of the things he’s doing. I don’t understand it,” said Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon, another retired Republican. “I think Congress should be more independent and should provide some checks and balances here.”

Bacon added that Trump still had the ability to “intimidate” fellow Republicans, but that Trump’s threats had “stiffened my back.”

Health care votes reveal divisions

During his speech at the Kennedy Center on Tuesday, Trump urged Republicans to take ownership of the health care issue. Yet when the House voted Thursday on a Democratic proposal to extendexpired health care subsidiesfor the Affordable Care Act health plans, 17 Republicans broke with party leadership to help pass the bill.

“People recognize the challenge here, which is addressing the issue of health care affordability,” said Rep. Mike Lawler, a New York Republican who voted for the proposal.

He has consistently criticized the Affordable Care Act, a signature Democratic law, but the health care debate unfolding in Congress is one that Democrats are confident will make a central campaign issue.

“In this first full week of the new year, House Democrats – each of us joined by 17 Republicans – came together in a bipartisan way to protect the health care of the American people,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said after the vote.

January 6 plaque coming out of storage

On the fifth anniversary of the Capitol attack, Trump told House Republicans that he had asked his supporters to go “peacefully and patriotically” to confront Congress in certifying the 2020 presidential election. The White House also unveiled a website describing the Jan. 6 attack as a “witch hunt” against him by Democrats and some congressional Republicans.

But the Senate, controlled by Republicans, accepted this weekdisplay a plaquehonoring the police who defended the Capitol — a cause that has become a point of contention with Trump as president. The plaque had been kept rather than displayed because House Speaker Mike Johnson said the memorial did not comply with the law.

It was Tillis once again who pushed the issue to the Republican side. He said it was important to honor the police and staff who risked their lives and safety that day.

Democrats who joined the effort said they were alarmed by the White House’s attempt to recast the speech.

“It’s so important that we be honest with the American people about what happened,” said Sen. Jeff Merkley, Democrat of Oregon.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

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