The Senate again voted to end President Donald Trump’s emergency powers for Canadian tariffs, despite Vice President JD Vance warning Republicans against breaking with the White House. A small contingent of Senate Republicans joined with Democrats to reject the tariffs, a move seen as a direct challenge to Trump’s trade policies. The resolution, sponsored by Senator Tim Kaine, received bipartisan support and aimed to terminate the emergency powers Trump used to impose retaliatory tariffs on Canada earlier this year.
Vice President JD Vance had warned Republicans that defying Trump on tariffs would be a ‘huge mistake.’ However, several key Republicans, including Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul, and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, as well as Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, supported the resolution, underscoring internal party tensions. Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina was the only Republican to vote against the resolution, highlighting the divisions within the Senate’s Republican ranks.
The resolution was in response to Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act in July to impose tariffs on Canadian goods. The tariffs varied, with Trump initially placing a 35% duty on Canada and a blanket 50% tariff on steel from other countries. However, he recently increased the tariffs on Canada by 10% after a controversial ad ran from the Canadian government. Trump criticized the ad, which featured former President Ronald Reagan, and declared that all trade negotiations with Canada were terminated.
Despite the resolution advancing in the Senate, it is expected to face challenges in the House of Representatives, which is controlled by Republicans. McConnell, a key Republican leader, argued that the tariffs had negatively affected Kentucky farmers and distillers. He emphasized that retaliatory tariffs make both building and buying in America more expensive, warning that trade wars are the rule rather than the exception.
This latest vote is part of a series of resolutions from Kaine and Democrats aimed at ending Trump’s emergency tariff powers. The move reflects broader concerns within the Republican Party about the economic impacts of Trump’s trade policies and the potential for further legislative action to limit his regulatory authority.