- The Senate almost passed a resolution to block Trump’s April 2 tariffs.
- It was a symbolic vote. The House isn’t taking it up, and Trump would veto it.
- Still, the vote highlighted opposition to Trump’s tariffs within the GOP.
The Senate barely defeated a resolution on Wednesday to block President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, which would have been a symbolic blow to his sweeping tariffs on foreign imports.
If the resolution had become law, it would’ve terminated the national emergency that Trump declared on April 2 — dubbed “Liberation Day” by the president — which allowed him to enact a 10% tariff on most foreign imports and additional “reciprocal” tariffs on dozens of countries.
The additional tariffs have been paused for 90 days, and the administration has said that it’s negotiating with various countries to change their trade policies.
The House wasn’t expected to take up the resolution after Republicans passed a rule that specifically blocks this type of resolution until the end of September. Trump would’ve also likely vetoed the resolution if it reached his desk.
The 49-49 deadlocked vote nonetheless highlighted, for the second time in one month, that Trump’s trade agenda does not have majority support in the upper chamber.
The resolution would likely have passed if not for the absences of Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, both of whom oppose Trump’s tariff policies.
Three GOP senators joined Democrats in voting for the resolution, including:
- Sen. Susan Collins of Maine
- Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
- Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky
Those three GOP senators, along with McConnell, voted for a resolution earlier this month to block Trump from imposing tariffs on Canada.
Separately, seven GOP senators have signed onto a bill to limit Trump’s tariff powers. The bill requires Congress to approve any new tariffs within 60 days of their enactment.
Several other Republicans who have not signed onto that bill have also been critical of Trump’s tariffs, warning that they could lead to higher prices and significant economic damage in the long run.
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has warned that tariffs could make even domestically manufactured cars much more expensive, citing conversations with a Big Three auto manufacturer, while Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin told BI that the tariffs are bringing “a massive amount of disruption” for businesses.
