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Hello, friends. It was the week that was here in Washington, D.C. — and in some ways, the week that wasn’t.
After internal battles boiled over in the House (thanks to a proposal to let new mothers vote remotely), GOP leaders canceled votes for the rest of the week and sent everyone home. It’s caused quite a stir in the lower chamber, but we’ll dive into that in a bit.
Meanwhile, Capitol Hill is reeling from President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs announced on Wednesday — prompting some Republicans to consider handing tariff powers back to Congress.
Let’s get into the news of the week.
The Big Idea
Senate GOP delivers Trump first major rebuke over Canada tariffs
A handful of Republican senators sided with their Democratic colleagues in advancing a resolution to overturn President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada, marking the first GOP pushback on a major component of the president’s economic agenda.
Four GOP senators joined all Democrats in voting to rescind an emergency declaration Trump issued in February, which determined the flow of fentanyl and illegal immigration numbers constituted a national emergency. That declaration was used as the justification for 10% tariffs later levied on Canadian imports.
The Republicans who joined Democrats: Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Susan Collins, R-Maine, Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Rand Paul, R-Ky.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., offered the resolution under Congress’s authority to overturn presidential emergency declarations — marking a rare moment for Democrats to force floor action on legislation thwarting Trump’s agenda.
“It’s a rare thing in the Senate where one senator can file a motion to be guaranteed a floor vote,” Kaine said ahead of the vote. “Nobody can kill it.”
Kaine’s resolution specifically focused on tariffs in Canada even though the emergency declaration also targeted Mexico and China. That was done on purpose to get the necessary GOP support to push the resolution past the finish line, he said.
“Getting Republicans to move away from Trump on anything is really hard,” Kaine said. “When I saw the president’s announcements of the three, I thought, ‘Let’s start with Canada.’ I think it’s the most straightforward case, and it’s the one that I would expect to have the most Republican sympathy for.”
The resolution, however, is likely dead on arrival in the Republican-led House. But it hints at a growing concern among GOP lawmakers about the effects of Trump’s tariffs — particularly after he announced a sweeping global package on Wednesday.
You can read more about that here from my colleague Brigham Tomco.
To be sure, some Republicans are uneasy about the 10% baseline tariff on imports and what that could do to their local economies.
“Anyone who says there may be a little bit of pain before we get things right need to talk to my farmers who are one crop away from bankruptcy,” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said on Tuesday. “We could do damage that is irreparable to farmers.”
“I think tariffs on trade between the U.S. and Canada will threaten our country with a recession. I think they’re a terrible idea economically and will lead to higher prices,” Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said on Thursday. Not only that, he says, but: “Historically, tariffs have also led to political decimation.”
Other Republicans are encouraging their colleagues to watch and see what happens, expressing cautious optimism things will even out over time.
“I will give (Trump) the benefit of the doubt,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said on Thursday.
Stories Driving the Week
VOTE-A-RAMA: The Senate unveiled text of its budget blueprint on Wednesday, teeing it up for a vote early this weekend. The resolution closely mirrors the one that has already passed out of the House, detailing plans to raise the debt ceiling while advancing a number of Trump’s priorities on the border, national defense, and energy.
The Senate will undergo a marathon vote series known as a vote-a-rama this weekend, with plans for the House to take it up sometime next week. GOP leaders are pushing to get it through before both chambers adjourn for Easter recess.
TARIFF TAKEBACK: Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., introduced a bipartisan resolution this week that would reclaim congressional authority over trade policy — requiring the president to get approval before imposing tariffs. Under the resolution, all tariffs would expire after 60 days unless Congress explicitly approves them.
REPUBLICAN REINFORCEMENTS: Republicans held onto two House seats up for grabs in Florida on Tuesday, bringing their majority up to 220-213 over Democrats in the lower chamber. Reps. Randy Fine and Jimmy Patronis were sworn in by House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday, raising Republicans’ majority from two votes to three.
Speaker Johnson eyes alternatives to parent proxy voting
After an unsuccessful bid to shut down a proposal allowing new parents in Congress to vote remotely, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is eyeing other ways to stop the bill from reaching the floor.
One way is by offering an alternative proposal to provide increased accommodations for new mothers in Congress such as breastfeeding rooms near the House chamber and financial assistance for travel. Details of such a compromise have not been finalized but it comes as GOP leadership looks for ways to stymie efforts to change House rules.
“Proxy voting aside, I am actively working on every possible accommodation to make Congressional service simpler for young mothers,” Johnson said in a post on X on Wednesday. “As the pro-family party, our aim as Republicans is to support those principles while also defending our constitutional traditions.”
The scramble comes after House lawmakers shut down a bid to nix the proxy voting proposal on Tuesday, dealing a blow to GOP leadership as nine of their own party members joined Democrats in the effort. In response, Johnson canceled votes for the remainder of the week to continue strategizing ways to kill the proxy voting bill before he is required by House rules to bring it to the floor.
But Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, the Republican co-sponsor behind the proxy voting bill, has shown no signs of slowing down. Luna noticed her discharge petition on Tuesday morning, meaning Johnson has only two legislative days to bring the proposal to the floor for a vote.
It’s likely Johnson and other GOP leaders may try to tuck a petition freeze to another piece of legislation, effectively killing the proposal if the main bill passes. However, that’s what Johnson already tried — which ultimately failed.
“Never bet against the Luna,” Luna said after the vote on Tuesday.
The House returns Monday evening and if Johnson doesn’t pass something to nullify Luna’s discharge petition, he may be forced to call a vote on Tuesday. Stay tuned for more on that.
But it’s likely the faction of nine who defended Luna may stay in her corner — even if they don’t necessarily support letting new parents vote remotely. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., is among those who say they don’t agree with the underlying legislation but are against leadership blocking a vote that rightfully garnered the signatures needed to earn one.
“I do support members’ ability to file a discharge petition,” Steube told me on Tuesday. “Killing a discharge petition by rule is an abuse of the rules and the process in which members have to get bills heard on the floor.”
Further throwing a wrench in things, Trump endorsed Luna’s bill on Thursday — putting the pressure on Johnson after he has been adamantly opposed to the change. That could move the needle for a handful of other Republicans who initially opposed Luna’s proposal, diminishing support for Johnson.
Luna said she spoke with Johnson after Trump weighed in on the issue publicly, and the pair are considering adjustments to the proposal.
“We discussed limiting the vote to just new moms who cannot physically travel in event of emergency etc,” Luna said in a post on X. “This is smart.”
It’s not clear how the two would move forward with such a proposal, or how much support it will get. Democrats may be angered by Luna swapping out negotiated language at the last minute — and some Republicans still say they won’t vote for the change.
“Just as unconstitutional and wrong - as I know (Johnson) also believes,” Rep. Chip Roy, who has been a leading voice to shut down the proposal, said on Thursday.
Quick Hits
From the Hill: John Curtis joins bipartisan group introducing sanctions against Russia. … Mike Lee pushes for more requirements to receive SNAP benefits. … Burgess Owens wants to rename press gallery after Frederick Douglass. … Curtis sent Sen. Booker ‘encouragement’ during record-breaking speech.
From the White House: Trump suggests he can serve a third term. … How Trump administration cuts to public health impact Utah. …Will Trump reach a deal on TikTok before it’s banned? … Trump puts the world on notice as he announces global tariffs
From the courts: The Supreme Court is hearing a religion case for the first time in two years. SCOTUS debates Medicaid restrictions.
What’s next
The House will be back Monday. The Senate will be in next week, but unsure when (or if!) senators will get a weekend. There are whispers that Thune may keep senators in session over the weekend so they can get an early out next week for the Easter break, my friend David Sivak from the Washington Examiner reported. No final decisions there yet, though.
As always, feel free to reach out to me by email with story ideas or questions you have for lawmakers. And follow me on X for breaking news and timely developments from the Hill.