The Senate passed a resolution Wednesday night that would thwart President Trump's ability to impose tariffs on Canada, delivering a rare rebuke just hours after the president unveiled sweeping plans to clamp down on international trade. The Senate resolution, passed on a 51-48 vote, would end Trump's emergency declaration on fentanyl that underpins tariffs on Canada, the AP reports. All Democrats and four Republicans voted yes. Trump earlier in the day announced orders to impose import taxes on a slew of international trading partners, though Canadian imports for now were spared from new taxes.
The Senate's legislation ultimately has little chance of passing the Republican-controlled House and being signed by Trump, but it showed the limits of Republican support for Trump's vision of remaking the economy by restricting free trade. Many economists are warning that the plan could cause an economic contraction, and GOP senators are already watching with unease as Trump upends the nation's relationship with the rest of the world. Trump earlier Wednesday had lobbied the Republicans—Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Mitch McConnell, and Rand Paul—who voted in favor of the resolution in an online post, per the AP.
To justify the tariffs, Trump has argued that Canada is not doing enough to stop illegal drugs from entering the US. Customs and Border Protection seized 43 pounds of fentanyl in its northern border sector during fiscal 2024, according to federal data. Meanwhile, at the southern border, authorities seized over 21,000 pounds last year. "This is not about fentanyl. It's about tariffs. It's about a national sales tax on American families," Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, who initiated the resolution, said at a news conference Wednesday. Democrats argued that Trump is using the tariffs to pay for tax cuts that would benefit the wealthy but will make it more expensive to build homes, disrupt industries, and raise prices on imported grocery products. Kaine pointed to aluminum imported from Canada that is used by businesses ranging from pie makers to shipbuilders.
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