Some Senate Republicans join Democrats to rebuke Trump's global tariffs
The Senate on Thursday rebuked President Donald Trump's global tariffs, narrowly passing a resolution that terminates the national emergency declared by the president to impose levies on more than 180 countries.
Four Republican senators voted with all Democrats for the measure: Co-sponsor Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine; Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
The Senate earlier this week passed similar referendums targeting Trump's tariffs on Canada and Brazil, specifically.
The measures, however, are unlikely to get taken up by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. Even if the House were to pass the resolutions, they would have to be signed by Trump, who would certainly reject it.
The Canada resolution passed on Wednesday, was also co-sponsored by Paul and Murkowski, Collins, McConnell snd all Senate Democrats.
Five Republicans voted with Democrats on Tuesday to pass the Brazil tariff resolution. That resolution would terminate the emergency declaration that Trump made in July and, as a result, lift the tariffs that were imposed on Brazilian goods as a result.
The vote on the Canadian tariffs comes after Trump announced earlier this week that he's adding an extra 10% tariff on Canadian imports because a negative TV commercial from the Ontario government that featured a speech by former President Ronald Reagan in which he said tariffs hurt Americans long-term.
Much like the resolution on Brazilian tariffs, the Canada legislation was brought forward by Democratic Sens. Chuck Schumer, Tim Kaine, Mark Warner and Amy Klobuchar and Paul and would repeal the emergency declaration Trump is using to impose tariffs on Canada.
Murkowski, Collins and McConnell joined Paul and Democrats in an effort earlier this year to approve similar legislation that would have repealed Trump's tariffs on Canada. That legislation cleared the upper chamber in April, but the House never took it up.
During a closed-door Republican lunch before the the Senate took up the Brazil resolution on Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance urged Republicans to vote against it.
"If you look at what we're doing in Asia, if you look at all of the trade deals, the trade barriers that have been dropped by foreign countries on American consumers, they are happening because the president United States has been willing to use tariffs to give American workers and American farmers a better deal," Vance said. "To vote against that is to strip that incredible leverage for the president United States. I think it's a huge mistake, and I know most of the people in there agree with me."
