Kaine, Paul, Schumer, Shaheen, & Wyden Legislation Challenging Trump’s Tariffs on Brazil Passes Senate

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Senate voted 52-48 to pass bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) to challenge President Donald Trump’s International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEPPA) tariffs on billions of dollars of goods from Brazil. The vote came shortly after newly released inflation data showed that consumer prices rose in September at their fastest pace in eight months.

“I’m grateful that my Senate colleagues voted to pass our bipartisan legislation to undo Trump’s tariffs on billions of dollars’ worth of goods from Brazil,” said Kaine, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. “Today’s vote sends an important message to the Trump Administration that the American people are not interested in starting unnecessary trade wars that will raise the cost of everyday goods like coffee and weaken our economy. I urge the House of Representatives to take this bill up and undo this tax on Americans.”

“Trump promised liberation, but what he delivered was a disastrous trade war that's brought chaos to the economy, confusion for small businesses, and higher costs for Americans,” said Leader Schumer. “Today the Senate said NO to a national sales tax that would be a financial nightmare for middle class families, and now Speaker Johnson must follow suit – bring the House back, pass this bill, and protect Americans from Trump’s chaotic and damaging trade wars.”

“President Trump’s reckless tariffs have amounted to a hidden tax on American families and small businesses,” said Shaheen, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “The President cannot use the American people as a bargaining chip to disrupt court cases in another nation and unilaterally impose a tax on the American people.”

The National Emergencies Act states that the U.S. House of Representatives must vote on this legislation within 18 days.

Specifically, the legislation would terminate the July 30 emergency declaration and eliminate the tariffs on Brazilian imports implemented as a result. President Trump’s order cited IEEPA, and any one senator can challenge the use of that law.

Americans import more than $40 billion annually from Brazil, including nearly $2 billion’s worth of coffee, a product that cannot be grown in most of the United States. Trade between the U.S. and Brazil supports nearly 130,000 jobs in the U.S., and the U.S. has a trade surplus with Brazil. A trade war with Brazil will raise costs for Americans, harm both the American and Brazilian economies, and drive Brazil closer to China.

The legislation is supported by the National Association of Women Owned Businesses (NAWBO), Mainstreet Alliance, National Taxpayers Union, Small Business Majority, Public Citizen, National Retail Federation, Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), and The Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors National Association (SMACNA).

Full text of the legislation is available here.

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