Senate Republicans defect, reject Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods
In a significant bipartisan move, a small group of Senate Republicans has once again joined forces with Senate Democrats to reject President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods. This decision came to light as the Senate advanced a resolution proposed by Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) aimed at terminating the emergency powers that Trump invoked to impose retaliatory tariffs against Canada earlier this year. The resolution garnered support from notable Republicans, including Susan Collins (Maine), Rand Paul (Kentucky), Mitch McConnell (Kentucky), and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), who broke ranks with the administration despite Vice President JD Vance’s attempts to rally party loyalty. This vote reflects growing discontent among some Republicans regarding Trump’s tariff strategy, particularly as they face pressure from constituents who are adversely affected by these trade policies.
The backdrop of this resolution is rooted in Trump’s aggressive tariff measures, which he implemented in July using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Initially, these tariffs included a staggering 35% duty on certain Canadian goods, alongside a blanket 50% tariff on steel imports from various countries. Recently, Trump escalated the situation by imposing an additional 10% tariff on Canada, a move triggered by a controversial advertisement from the Ontario government that featured audio of former President Ronald Reagan. In a vehement response, Trump declared that all trade negotiations with Canada were terminated, showcasing his combative approach to international trade. However, Senators like Rand Paul have voiced strong opposition to the use of tariffs, arguing that they ultimately function as a tax on American consumers rather than a punitive measure against foreign entities. Paul emphasized that the Constitution does not endorse the imposition of taxes through emergency measures, a sentiment echoed by McConnell, who has highlighted the detrimental impact of tariffs on Kentucky’s farmers and distillers.
Despite the Senate’s bipartisan rejection of the tariffs, the resolution’s future in the House remains uncertain, as it is expected to stall there. This recent vote is part of a broader pattern of dissent within the Republican Party regarding Trump’s trade policies, which some members believe are detrimental to the economy. McConnell articulated this concern, stating, “Tariffs make both building and buying in America more expensive,” and underscoring that the historical consequences of trade wars are typically harmful rather than beneficial. As the situation continues to evolve, the internal divisions within the GOP may signal a shift in the party’s approach to trade and economic policy, particularly in light of the upcoming elections where voter sentiment will play a crucial role in shaping legislative priorities.
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A small contingent of Senate Republicans again joined with Senate Democrats to reject President
Donald Trump
’s tariffs — this time on Canadian goods.
The Senate advanced a resolution from Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., on a bipartisan basis to terminate the emergency powers Trump used to declare retaliatory tariffs against Canada earlier this year.
Roughly the same core group of Republicans, Susan Collins of Maine,
Rand Paul
and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, joined Senate Democrats to reject the duties. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., opted to vote against this latest attempt to reject Trump’s tariffs.
SENATE REPUBLICANS DEFY VANCE’S WARNING, VOTE TO BLOCK TRUMP’S BRAZIL TARIFFS AMID SHUTDOWN
“The vice president came up yesterday to try to corral Republicans at their lunch,” Kaine said before the lunch. “That shows the White House is worried about defectors on this.”
Indeed, their votes against Trump’s tariffs on Canada came after Vice President
JD Vance
warned Republicans that it would be a “huge mistake” to break with the White House on the president’s tariff strategy, and he argued that using duties on countries across the globe offered leverage to generate better trade deals in return.
Paul, one of the co-sponsors of Kaine’s resolution, has consistently rejected Trump’s usage of tariffs and argued that it was a tax on consumers in the U.S. rather than on foreign countries.
SCHUMER, DEMS CALL ‘BULL—-‘ ON TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER FOOD STAMP SHUTDOWN THREAT
He noted that the message it would send to the White House, despite pressure from Vance to support Trump’s duties, was “that a rule by emergency is not what
the Constitution
intended, that taxes are supposed to originate in the House of Representatives.”
The resolution was in response to Trump’s usage of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act in July to impose tariffs on Canadian goods. The tariffs on the country vary, with Trump initially placing 35% duties on the country earlier this year, along with a blanket 50% tariff on steel from other countries.
However, he recently cranked up the tariffs on Canada by 10% following an ad that ran last week that featured former President
Ronald Reagan
, which used audio from the former president’s 1987 “Radio Address to the Nation on Free and Fair Trade.”
TRUMP SLAPS CANADA WITH EXTRA 10% TARIFF OVER ‘FRAUDULENT’ REAGAN ADVERTISEMENT: ‘HOSTILE ACT’
Trump railed against the ad, which was run by the government of Ontario, Canada, and declared, “ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED,” in a post on Truth Social.
The latest tariff vote is the second in a trio of resolutions from Kaine and several Senate Democrats. Despite the resolution terminating Trump’s emergency powers on tariffs in Brazil and Canada both advancing in the Senate, they will likely stall in the House.
McConnell staked his position against the tariffs in a statement, where he argued that retaliatory tariffs have negatively affected Kentucky farmers and distillers.
“Tariffs make both building and buying in America more expensive. The economic harms of trade wars are not the exception to history, but the rule. And no cross-eyed reading of Reagan will reveal otherwise,” he said. “This week, I will vote in favor of resolutions to end emergency tariff authorities.”
Eric
Eric is a seasoned journalist covering US Politics news.
