Senate votes to block tariffs on Canada
The Senate voted Wednesday to end the national emergency that President Donald Trump declared to impose tariffs on imports from Canada.
Four Republicans joined with all Senate Democrats to approve the measure, which passed 50 to 46. But it won’t go into effect because it would still need to be approved by the House, which voted earlier this year to block all legislation challenging Trump’s tariffs until March 2026.
It was the second bipartisan vote against Trump’s tariffs in as many days — the Senate also voted Tuesday to block tariffs on Brazilian goods, though that won’t take effect, either.
Trump abruptly canceled trade negotiations with Canadian officials this week and added 10 percentage points to existing tariffs over an advertisement from the government of Ontario featuring President Ronald Reagan arguing that tariffs lead to retaliation and shrinking markets and hurt American businesses and workers.
Trump announced 25 percent tariffs on Canadian imports in February by declaring a national emergency and arguing that Canada is not doing enough to stop the flow of fentanyl across the northern border.
Canada imposed retaliatory tariffs in response, which were later dropped.
Trump increased the tariffs on goods from Canada to 35 percent in August, and last week, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the country would double its non-U.S. exports over the next 10 years.
In a floor speech ahead of the vote, the resolution’s sponsor, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia), said the emergency power was intended to give the president the power to act in “unusual and extraordinary” circumstances.
“President Trump has stretched this notion of emergency far beyond the language of the statute,” he said, warning Republicans that it sets a dangerous precedent. “If President Trump can name anything as an emergency, so can any president henceforth.”
Kaine’s measure also passed the Senate in April with the support of four Republicans but ran into the same roadblock in the House.
The same four Republicans voted for it this time: Sens. Mitch McConnell (Kentucky), Rand Paul (Kentucky), Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska).
“Protectionists eagerly celebrate the revenue from tariff duties. But they don’t talk nearly as much about how much of that revenue they’ll spend protecting American growers and producers from the avoidable harm of their policies,” McConnell said in a statement Tuesday, explaining why he would vote to support multiple resolutions to eliminate tariffs this week.
“Tariffs make both building and buying in America more expensive,” he added. “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.”
However, most Senate Republicans voted to reject Kaine’s resolution.
Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) said in a floor speech ahead of the vote that the resolution is “counterproductive” and could set back Trump’s efforts to rectify trade imbalances.
“The cost of that is being borne by the American people, small businesses and large businesses alike,” he said. “The president’s historic trade negotiations recognize that this can’t continue and nations across the globe need to reduce their trade barriers.”