WASHINGTON — House Republicans on Monday advanced a procedural motion to block a vote on President Donald Trump’s tariff agenda, potentially delaying a politically uncomfortable vote on his most prominent economic policy until at least July.

The motion will be voted on by the chamber this week. Republicans have a razor-thin majority, so even a few defections could wreck the chances of extending the block, which started last March as the president began a trade clash with Canada.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said he expected the rule would be approved. “I think we’ll have the votes to delay that, for a bit longer, the Supreme Court will be issuing an opinion soon, and I think we need to allow time for the legal process to play out, so that’s our position,” he told reporters.

The high court’s justices have yet to rule on whether the president exceeded his authority by imposing sweeping global tariffs, citing an emergency law.

“It’s cowardly,” Representative James McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat, said of the procedural motion. “They’re screwing over their own constituents. Prices are going up. I mean, if we had a vote on this tomorrow, they would vote to overturn the tariffs.”

In September, the efforts to prohibit a tariff vote led to a small revolt among several rank-and-file Republicans. It was quickly quelled by the House’s Republican leadership, who promised to hold a working group for lawmakers to express their concerns.

With November’s midterm elections approaching, any vote on the Trump tariffs would be politically awkward for Republicans who represent swing districts or parts of the country particularly exposed to the economic effects of the increased levies.

The Senate last year voted to overturn Trump’s duties on Canada, Brazil and so-called global reciprocal tariffs.

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