WASHINGTON — The Senate voted on Wednesday to terminate the national emergency used to impose global tariffs on countries such as Canada, offering a rare rebuke to President Donald Trump from members of his own party.
The resolution passed in a 50-46 vote, with four Republicans joining all Democrats in supporting the measure. Terminating the national emergency only requires a simple majority in the Senate, meaning at least four Republicans were needed to back the repeal.
Both Utah Sens. Mike Lee and John Curtis voted against terminating the national emergency.
The resolution would end the emergency declaration made by Trump earlier this year that justified the increased taxes on dozens of countries that have been strengthened and loosened throughout the year. The bill specifically terminates the emergency that imposed a 35% tariff on Canadian goods earlier this summer, which are expected to get higher after Trump announced he would tack on an additional 10% tariff in response to a negative television ad by the Ontario government.
“Policymaking by presidential impulse deprives American businesses of the certainty they need to decide whether they can afford to create or sustain jobs or even remain in business,” Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., one of the sponsors of the bills, wrote in an op-ed. “As tariffs simultaneously threaten job losses and higher prices, the economic well-being of every American family is at risk.”
The measure previously passed the Senate in April in a similarly bipartisan vote, but the bill was never considered by the Republican-led House. This latest iteration is likely to see the same fate.
The terminated emergency comes after the Senate passed a similar bill on Tuesday to end tariffs imposed on Brazil, which garnered the support from the same four Republicans: Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; Susan Collins, R-Maine; Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.; and Rand Paul, R-Ky. Sen. Thom Tillis also voted to end the Brazilian tariffs but rejected the bill specifically on Canada.
The Senate will also vote on another bill later this week terminating the July national emergency implemented on Trump’s “Liberation Day” that imposed tariffs across the globe.
“Our colleagues in the Senate cannot avoid being put on the record,” Kaine wrote. “As the next vote approaches, it is our hope that more of them do the right thing and play their part in reasserting Congress’s constitutional role as an equal branch of government.”